A Brave New World
by Mei Li Young
Summary: Three years after Edward's mysterious disappearance, Alice calls Bella with disturbing visions of Edward in trouble. As the past meets the future, and a new threat rises, Bella must fight to save the man she loves.
1. The Fight

**A/N:** _Hi everyone! Some readers have asked me to post this story that is currently on Twilighted here as well._

_This is an AU Eclipse fan fiction. It starts with the fight with Victoria and the newborns, but then it goes a direction that is all my own._

_This story contains mature themes and is not for minors._

_Enjoy!_

**BELLA**

"Tell me your favorite night," I asked him.

"That would be two nights ago, when you agreed to marry me. Does it make your list, too?"

I made a face.

"Yes… I guess it does."

Suddenly the air was erupted by an earsplitting howl of pain.

In horror, I realized that Jacob was close. Jacob had heard every word we'd said.

"You knew."

"Yes."

I stared at nothing.

"I never promised to fight fair," he reminded me quietly. "And he deserves to know."

My head fell into my hands.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked.

"Not you," I whispered, "I'm horrified at me."

"Don't torment yourself," he pleaded.

"Yes," I agreed bitterly. "I should save my energy to torment Jacob some more. I wouldn't want to leave any part of him unharmed."

"He knew what he was doing."

"Do you think I care whether it's fair or whether he was adequately warned? I'm hurting him. I have to go find him."

"Bella, he's already miles away, and it's cold."

"I don't care... I have to- I have to…" I cried. I didn't know how to finish the sentence.

Edward followed me outside.

"I'm sorry I did that, Bella" he whispered.

"You didn't do anything. It's my fault. I did this. I did everything wrong. What if he…"

"Bella, Bella."

His arms folded around me and my tears soaked into his shirt.

"Do you want me to see if I can bring him back, so you can talk to him? There's still a little time," Edward murmured, hushed agony in his voice.

I nodded into his chest.

"Stay by the tent. I'll be back soon."

His arms disappeared. He left so quickly that, in the second it took me to look up, he was already gone. I was alone.

A new sob broke from my chest. I was hurting everyone today. Was there anything I touched that didn't get spoiled?"

I waited forever. Then, Seth started growling.

"It's just us, Seth," Jacob called from a distance.

Edward walked into view first, his face blank and smooth.

"Bella, I'm going to give you some privacy. I won't go far, but I won't listen either. I know you don't want an audience, no matter which way you decide to go."

Only at the very end did the pain break into his voice.

I had to never hurt him again. That would be my mission in life. Never again would I be the reason for this look to come into his eyes.

"Hurry back," I whispered.

He kissed me lightly on the lips and then disappeared into the forest.

* * *

**EDWARD**

I stood a distance into the forest and tried to block out the thoughts of those around me. It was easier to block everyone than to try to block specific people. I knew that I had time before the fight, so I could just focus on shielding myself. The forced concentration had an added benefit. It allowed me to control the raging emotions inside. Bella thought that I was cold, but that was far from true. I wanted nothing more than to rush back and tear the mutt limb from limb.

_What if she chose him?_

I paced back and forth trying to push away the despair. I knew that I should let her go, but the agony at the thought was overwhelming.

_Could I let her go?_

He was much better for her. She was in constant danger because of me. She would be safe with him. Even more, she could have a real life with him. She could marry, have children, and be truly happy. She would never have any of these things with me. I was a dead end.

I knew that she loved him because she called him "my Jacob" in her sleep. She may not know it but she loved him, too. She could be happy.

Suddenly, I heard sounds coming from behind me.

I let my mind open up to the voices.

"Hello, Edward. I'm so glad we found you…"

* * *

**BELLA**

"Jacob, I'm begging you to stay with me." I would have fallen to my knees if I could have moved at all.

"Stay." I begged.

He shook his head. "No, I'm going." He paused as if deciding something. "But I could leave it to fate."

"What do you mean?" I choked out.

"I don't have to do anything deliberate- I could just do my best for my pack and let what happens happen." He shrugged. "IF you could convince me you really did want me to come back- more than you wanted to do the selfless thing."

"How?" I asked.

"You could ask me," he suggested.

"Come back." I whispered.

He shook his head, smiling again. "That's not what I'm talking about."

"Will you kiss me?"

His eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed suspiciously. "You're bluffing."

"Kiss me, Jacob. Kiss me, and then come back."

Jacob lurched forward closing the gap. He grabbed me into his arms and his lips crashed into mine.

At first, I held very still - my eyes closed, my fingers curled into fists at my sides. But the utter defenselessness of his sudden joy cracked my determination, disabled it. Against all reason, my lips were moving with his in strange confusing ways they'd never moved before- my fingers grabbed a hold of his hair.

Suddenly, a howl erupted in the woods.

Jacob's head shot up and I stumbled backwards dazed.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I need to change so that I can hear his thoughts."

As he ran for the woods, he shimmered and changed in front of my eyes.

Then I was alone and I was alone for a long time.

Thousands of thoughts kept flying through my head.

The vampire pack had found our location and Edward, Seth, and Jacob were fighting for their lives.

Or.

The Cullens and the pack were in trouble so they rushed off to help.

Or.

Edward and Jacob were killing each other.

I sat down on the ground and pulled my knees up to my chest and tried to control my shaking. I think I started to doze off after a while because I didn't hear them approaching.

"Bella…"

I looked up and saw Jacob and Alice standing in front of me with identical looks on their faces. It took me a moment to recognize the emotion- grief. I looked around them worried.

"Is someone hurt? Where's Edward? What's happened?"

Jacob crouched down in front of me and said, "Bells, I need to tell you something…"

I looked up at Alice. She was looking up at the sky trying to fight the look of grief on her face but failing.

"Where's Edward?"

I jumped up and scanned the trees in panic.

"Edward, where are you?"

Jacob put his hands on either side of my face and forced me to meet his eyes.

"Bella, you need to listen to me. We don't know what happened. When Edward left us, he went back into the woods to wait for us to finish … talking… " He shifted uncomfortably.

"Seth went to look for him, but he couldn't find him. Then he picked up his scent which lead further into the woods where it crossed paths with other vampires. As he followed the scent further, he started to smell smoke. He found an open field that was in flames and he smelled the scent of burning vampire. That was when he called me."

I looked uncomprehendingly at Alice.

_How could she not have seen this? _

As if hearing my thoughts, Alice responded.

"I couldn't see his future because I can't see anything when the werewolves are close. I never thought that any of you were in any danger..." she said with a sob in her voice.

I looked back at Jacob who was staring at me with anguished eyes.

He had to clear his voice before continuing.

"Once we got the flames under control, we looked for any sign of Edward," his voice broke on the word "sign."

I started to shake uncontrollably. I didn't want to listen.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he said and opened his hand to show me something.

I looked away not wanting to see what he held. I knew that whatever it was would destroy me.

I looked down into Jacob's open hand and saw a clump of singed bronze hair.

I had run my hands through that hair hundreds of times loving its texture, its color. And now here in front of me was the only piece of Edward I had left.

I couldn't breathe. I clutched at my chest trying to force air into my lungs.

"Oh, God… This can't be happening… this can't be happening… this can't be happening… Edward, please… no," I wailed, falling to my knees.

* * *

It has been almost three years since Edward's death.

The first six months, I was in denial. Even though every sign pointed to Edward's death, I couldn't admit it, because without Edward I would lose my mind.

I went through my reasons for believing that he was alive over and over again. The body that was burned in the fire could have been another vampire since they couldn't get a clear scent because of the smoke. The hair could have been pulled from Edward's head during a struggle.

I was able to rationalize everything except for Alice's lack of visions about Edward. According to her visions, he ceased to exist after the fight.

I made Jacob and Seth take me to the field and we went over every square inch of it. For weeks, I went there almost every day looking for any sign that he was still alive.

The Cullens also refused to believe that he was dead at first, especially Emmett.

Emmett became crazed at the news of Edward's death. That was the only way that you could describe it. Before Alice and Jacob could even finish telling them what had happened, Emmett took off into the woods searching frantically for Edward. He tore half of the forest apart snarling and raging looking for any sign, but everything led back to that fire and that clump of bronze hair.

Eventually with the absence of any new evidence and no visions from Alice, people started to accept that Edward really was dead.

Once, I started to accept it, anger set in.

I refused to talk to anyone besides Charlie. I blamed everyone for Edward's death, especially Jacob for taking me away from Edward when he needed me the most and Alice for not seeing what was going to happen.

However, I was angriest at myself.

The same nightmare plagued me every night. The last words that he said to me would worm their way into every memory, every fantasy.

"_Bella, I'm going to give you some privacy. I won't go far, but I won't listen either. I know you don't want an audience, no matter which way you decide to go."_

He had thought that I might choose Jacob over him.

_Did he know that I asked Jacob to kiss me? _

_Was that the last thing that he heard or saw?_

These thoughts tortured my every moment.

I stopped sleeping and eating. I knew that I was frightening Charlie, but I couldn't live without Edward. The worst was the day of our wedding. Edward had suggested a summer wedding after he proposed to me and I grudgingly decided on August 21. I woke up that morning thinking that it was the day that I would have become Edward's wife. He had wanted me to be his wife so badly and I had fought him every step of the way. Why?

I started crying and couldn't stop. Charlie came into my room and sat on the edge of my bed and after some hesitation took me into his arms and rocked me like I was still a little girl.

Soon after this, Charlie shipped me off to Florida to live with my mother. I knew that he did it because I needed to get away from Forks and everything that reminded me of Edward, but it still felt like he was getting rid of me.

I was so angry.

Eventually, though, even the anger burnt itself out. But without the anger, I was a shell. I went to classes, talked to mom and Phil, and went through the motions of daily life but I was gone.

Eventually, I reached the conclusion that I couldn't continue to live this way. I knew that I only had two choices at this point- kill myself or start living a life without Edward. I frequently found myself wishing that I would get hit by a vehicle as I crossed the street because even though Edward didn't believe it I knew that he would be waiting for me in heaven.

However, when I seriously started to consider taking my life, my parents came to my mind. It would destroy my parents which would mean that I would be taking their lives as well as mine.

So instead, I chose to start living my life for my parents. I was going to try exist for the people I loved.


	2. Life After Forks

**LIFE AFTER FORKS**

**Bella**

I began my new life by enrolling in the University of North Florida in an English Literature degree and moving into residence. Even though it was near my mother's house, I told her that I needed a fresh start and she didn't argue. I went through the motions of doing the whole freshman thing with initiation and all that kind of nonsense.

My roommate, Sarah, had a lot to do with my becoming social. To look at her, no one would know what kind of person lurked in the little bubbly blonde. When I first met her, I thought that Sarah was a little girl. Her petite frame and large eyes that seemed a little too big for her face gave the impression that she was an innocent little girl. However, she was really strong willed, forceful, and downright rude sometimes.

I'm sure that she knew that I had a lot of emotional baggage but she told me that she would not live with a "stick in the mud" and dragged me to every party, movie, and function. And eventually the pretending got easier.

Through Sarah, I met the other important person in my new life- Aidin. Aidin was loved by everyone he met. Physically he wasn't stereotypically handsome but actually rather nondescript. He was slender with light brown hair, pale skin, and brown eyes but his boyish charm and general happiness made him quite attractive to the opposite sex. Sarah used to say that he sparkled, especially when he smiled at you with those big puppy dog eyes. Much to our annoyance, he had a different woman on his arm every time we would go out, but when we would complain he would tell us that we shouldn't be jealous because no one could replace "his ladies" and then would jump on us and tickle mercilessly.

At first, I kept my distance from all men. It seemed, at first, that all of them reminded me of what I had lost, but Aidin's charm soon wormed its way in. He welcomed everyone with open arms and you just felt better in his presence.

Like Sarah, I'm sure that Aidin knew that something terrible had happened to me because there were days when I just couldn't keep up the façade. I would sink into a depression which some times kept me in bed for days, but neither of them questioned me. They just gave me my space to come out of it on my own.

So I lived in a little bubble of safety and I worked very hard to stay hidden there with my memories safely stored away. I very rarely talked to my family and I never talked to the Cullens or Jacob.

However, my bubble was burst regardless of my effort.

For my twenty-first birthday, Aidin and Sarah threw me a huge birthday party. All of my friends from school were invited to Aidin's apartment where they had cooked many of my favorite dishes. However, birthdays were never good days for me. Over three years ago, I thought that I would stay young forever with the man that I loved, but I had destroyed all of that.

I tried to put on a happy face for everyone, but I needed to douse myself in alcohol to keep up the appearance. By the time the evening was drawing to a close, I was reeling from the amount of alcohol I had consumed which made me clumsier than ever. Thanks to Aidin, though, I didn't totally make a fool of myself. He followed me around all night abandoning his very annoyed date, so that every time I stumbled either verbally or physically he was there to catch my fall.

I both loved him and hated him for that.

I didn't want to be saved.

After the last guest left, Sarah and Aidin turned to me with accusatory looks on their faces.

"Bella, what the hell are you doing?" Sarah demanded.

"Whadya mean?" I slurred.

"Why did you try to ruin this evening that we spent a long time planning?" Sarah accused.

I felt instantly guilty.

"I'm so sorry, guys…" I said and burst into tears.

"Bella, it's okay. You don't need to cry… Not _everyone_ noticed how drunk you were," Aidin said with a rueful smile.

"I destroy everything around me," I sobbed.

Aidin's smile disappeared and I looked away as he came towards me. But he moved in front of me and dipped his head so I had to look into his eyes.

"What's bringing this on? This seems like a tad of an overreaction."

I continued sobbing.

"Okay, Bella I think it's time for you to tell us what has made you _this_ screwed up" Sarah said crossing her arms and tapping her foot in irritation.

Aidin scowled at her.

"No. I think it's time that we knew," she said firmly pushing Aidin out of the way.

"Yes. I think you need to know what kind of person I am…" I whispered.

Aidin pulled me towards the couch and we all sat down. Then I proceeded to tell them the story. I didn't include the supernatural stuff. I mainly told them about how I had had two wonderful men who loved me unconditionally and I strung one of them along and tortured the other one. Then, on the night that I basically cheated on my fiancé, he disappeared and is presumed dead. Then, I told them about the icing on the cake which was that I blamed all of my friends for Edward's death even though in reality it was my fault.

When I finished my story, there was only silence. The silence became unbearable but I couldn't look at them. I didn't want to see the look of disgust in their eyes after hearing about what I had done.

"Was his name Edward?" Sarah said gently.

I looked up and met her eyes surprised at her gentle tone of voice. I was shocked to see tears shining in them. Sarah never cried.

"Yes," I said my voice quivering.

"You cry out in your sleep for him sometimes. You used to do it almost every night," she said gently and pulled me to her in a hug.

Aidin was quiet for a while as I sobbed in Sarah's arms but then he softly spoke.

"Bella, I didn't know Edward, but I'm sure that he would not have blamed you. You didn't know that something was going to happen to him. He would not want you to torture yourself," he said, rubbing my back.

I turned to look at Aidin waiting for the "but." However, there was only sympathy in his eyes. He reached out and used his knuckle to gently brush away my tears. It was such a comforting gesture, but too reminiscent of another person's touch, a person that I was trying with all my might to forget.

"You should grieve for him because you love him, but you shouldn't torture yourself. If it were me, I wouldn't want you to remember me that way. I would want you to remember the happy times and how much I loved you," he said, worry creasing his forehead.

I started to cry harder and threw myself at him. I felt his arms tighten around me. Then I felt Sarah's arms wrap around us both.

After that night, it felt like a vice had been removed from around my chest. I felt better just for having told them about Edward. Now, I didn't feel like I was hiding who I was from the people in my life.

After a few months had passed, I found myself spending more and more time with Aidin. It made me feel good to be around him so I often found myself curled up on the coach with him. There was still a barrier in place within me that I couldn't bring myself to take down because it kept others out while keeping Edward in. I was especially careful with maintaining my wall when I was with Aidin.

But my wall was becoming weaker every day. I started to find that my memories of Edward were not always present in my mind when I was with Aidin. I started to feel that maybe I was ready to let Aidin in. I realized this strangely at a time that I was least expecting it.

I was in a deep sleep when the ringing of my phone next to my head jolted me awake.

"Hello?" I managed to croak.

"Bella?"

For a moment I didn't recognize Aidin's voice.

"Bells, would you mind coming over? I'm really sick," Aidin's voice was so weak that it barely sounded like him.

I bolted up in bed.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," I said.

When I arrived at his apartment I used the key from the rain gutter and rushed in.

"Aidin? Where are you?"

There was no answer, but I saw a light coming from the bathroom.

Aidin was sitting on the floor leaning up against the bathtub within reaching distance of the toilet.

"You look terrible," I said.

He squinted at me with one eye.

"I _feel_ terrible. Every time I try to stand up the room spins and I throw up. So I think not moving is the way to go," he said dryly.

"What can I do? Should we go to the hospital?" I said sitting down next to him.

"No. No hospitals…" he muttered.

Aidin had a phobia of hospitals ever since he sat for months with his aunt in palliative care during her losing battle with breast cancer.

"How long have you been sitting here?" I asked.

"I started to feel sick when I got home from school and shortly after that the spinning and vomiting started," he said resting his head back against the tub.

"Aidin, you got home at three! Have you been sitting here since then?"

"Apparently," he said and shut his eyes.

"I'll go get you some water. You're probably dehydrated."

I walked to the kitchen, deciding on the way that if he got any worse, I would drag him to the hospital whether he liked it or not. When I returned to the bathroom, Aidin was looking at me gratefully.

"I'm so happy that you're here," he said and patted the floor next to him.

I felt my heart swell with tenderness.

We sat together for what seemed like hours talking. But eventually Aidin's head started to droop and after unsuccessfully trying to convince him to go to bed I grabbed a blanket and encouraged him to lie down and rest his head on my lap. After a sigh he fell almost immediately into a deep sleep. I looked down at him and ran my fingers through his light brown hair.

I suddenly felt a wave of emotion flow through me. It took me a moment to recognize it- love. Tears came to my eyes as guilt flooded through me.

_How could I love someone other than Edward? How could I do that?_

Then, I looked down at Aidin again and let out a sob.

"Good-bye, Edward," I whispered and then leaned my head back against the tub closing my eyes as the tears slid down my cheeks.


	3. And It All Came Crashing Down

**A/N: **I know that I am making many of you nervous, but this really is an Edward/Bella story

**AND IT ALL CAME CRASHING DOWN**

**Bella**

"Why do you want to watch it if it makes you sick?" Aidin said, chuckling.

"I like the story line," I said hiding my eyes behind the pillow.

"You don't make a whole lot of sense, Bell. You're afraid of blood but you like a show about a crime solving serial killer. You're a nut," he said as he tried to pull my pillow away.

I swatted at him.

"Stop, Aidin!" I said, laughing. "We're missing the show," I said pointing in the general direction of the screen while still hiding my eyes. "Is it safe for me to look?"

"Yeah, Bell. The butchering is done," he said and settled back on the couch pulling me into the crook of his arm. I relaxed with a sigh.

I had been spending most of my free time at Aidin's in the last month. Often it was the three of us, but more and more frequently it was just Aidin and me. Sarah said that she had a lot of studying to do at the library this term, but I knew that she was secretly dancing for joy that Aidin and I were becoming closer. So on a typical evening, it was just Aidin and me cuddled up on the couch watching tv.

However, tonight as Dexter was drawing to a close the relaxed atmosphere that usually existed between us changed. I felt Aidin's body start to tense. I looked up at him wondering what was wrong but he just continued to stare at the tv even though I knew that he could feel my eyes on him. When the credits started to roll, he took a deep breath and looked down at me with a serious expression on his face. Before I could ask him what was wrong, he lifted my chin and pressed his lips gently to mine.

It was the first time that we had kissed. We often snuggled but never took the next step. I think that we were both afraid of what my reaction would be. I loved Aidin, but I was scared that I wouldn't be able to handle a more intimate relationship.

When I felt his lips touch mine, I closed my eyes and tried to just feel and be in the moment. His lips were very warm and soft on mine, but I could feel the intensity of his feelings for me in this soft kiss. I had only kissed two men in my life, both of whom were supernatural beings. With both Edward and Jacob, I felt that they were always holding themselves in check because they knew that they could hurt me without much effort. Kissing Aidin was very different. He did not need to hold a part of himself away from me. In his kiss, I could feel that he was giving all of himself to me and asking me to do the same. So I tried to do this for him.

I began to kiss Aidin with more intensity trying to wrench myself out of my memories and just _be in the moment_. Aidin moaned into my mouth at my reaction. I felt his tongue trace my bottom lip and I hesitantly opened my mouth. With a groan, he deepened our kiss. This kind of kissing was new to me. I was never able to kiss Edward this way and it was both an intense and strange feeling. However, his groan still sent a thrill of excitement through me that started a heat deep inside. It was a feeling that I hadn't felt in a long time.

Again, Edward came unbidden to my mind. I remembered the feelings that his lips invoked in me- the racing heart, the labored breathing, the light headedness, and the fire deep inside that felt at times like it would completely consume me. And suddenly. I was no longer kissing Aidin, but Edward. I remembered the feeling of his lips on mine, his taste, his smell, the electricity that seemed to flow between us at the lightest touch.

I knew it was wrong to think of other lips but my desire to keep the memory of Edward's lips on mine and the desire to get lost in Aidin created a confusing mix of passion and desperation. It was like a tug of war inside of me.

I growled in frustration and tried to push my memories of Edward out of my head with all of my might by throwing myself bodily at Aidin. I pushed him back against the couch and straddled him while crashing my mouth down on his.

Aidin pulled his mouth away from mine with a gasp and looked up at me with shock which I'm sure was mirrored in my own eyes.

"Well, this is a surprise," he said with a slow grin spreading across his face.

I brushed his hair off his forehead and smiled shyly.

With a happy chuckle, he reached up and pulled my mouth back to his.

And the tug of war began again...

It was near Spring Break when my world came crashing down around me.

Aidin, Sarah, and I were planning on going away to a tropical resort for the holiday, but we couldn't decide where. None of us had a huge amount of money, so we were looking for something that was both beautiful and cheap. Not an easy feat.

"What about Jamaica?" Sarah asked from her seat in front of Aidin's computer.

"Too expensive," Aidin said between kisses.

I tried half-heartedly to push him away embarrassed that Sarah was here, but Aidin ignored my attempts.

"What about Cancun?" she said.

"Too much partying," I said while trying to fend off Aidin's attempt to nibble on my earlobe.

His warm breath in my ear as he laughed at my feeble attempts sent a shiver down my spine.

"Bella, don't be such a party pooper. Partying is just what we need. What about this place? It sounds like it could be both a good place for a stick in the mud like you and also for those of us who like to have fun. It is called the Palladium del Carmen. It is supposed to be both family-friendly and have a night life."

When we didn't respond right away, she spun around in her seat to look at us.

"Will you two stop?" she said in exasperation before turning back to the computer.

"You better not do this for the whole vacation," she muttered.

I blushed and pushed Aidin away with more force than necessary knocking him off of the love seat.

I smiled down at his smug happy face as I stepped over him to reach the computer.

"What do the reviews say?" I said leaning over Sarah's shoulder to take the mouse so I could scroll down to the bottom of the page.

The suprise of my cell phone buzzing in my pocket caused me to yelp loudly in Sarah's ear which in turn caused her to yelp and practically jump out of her chair. .

"Jeez, Bella! Jumpy much?"

"Sorry," I said smiling while I dug in my pocket to get my phone.

When I looked down at the caller, however, the smile died on my lips.

It was Alice's number.


	4. Life Before Death

**LIFE BEFORE DEATH**

**EDWARD **

**Chicago- August 21, 1918 **

For weeks, my mother had been telling me not to go out unless it was absolutely necessary because the newspapers were saying that people should "avoid needless crowding," but I wanted to attend the parades. The soldiers returning from war were marching home and it was exciting to stand and watch the heroes return.

However, today everything changed.

I was standing in a small group of parade watchers applauding the soldiers and brooding about not being allowed to join when suddenly a man started coughing a few feet away.

Much to my surprise people scattered in all directions like a flock of birds. I stood still looking around wondering what had caused people to flee when I noticed the man who was coughing.

The man looked to be no older than me but he was hunched over like he could not bear his own weight. He staggered around the parade grounds reaching out blindly and coughing uncontrollably. Before my eyes, blood started to drip from his nose. After wiping his nose on the back of his sleeve, he seemed to lose his balance and reached out to catch himself on a park bench. Then he shuffled in my direction.

If not for chance, he would have reached me. He stumbled over a bottle and fell to his knees and couldn't get back up because his legs would not support him. His coughing became worse and I could hear the rattle of air trying to move in his lungs.

_He really needs a doctor…_

This broke me out of my trance and I looked around for help, but the parade grounds were almost empty.

I started to move towards him wanting to help, but before my eyes the man sneezed spraying the ground with blood.

_This was the influenza that was spreading through the city. This was the illness that was killing people. _

I looked around once more wondering what to do. I couldn't just leave him here, but then I remembered what my mother had said to me a few days ago. She said that this new wave of the influenza was not affecting the young and old but people my age. When she said this, she looked at me and taking my hand in hers said very seriously, "I don't know what I would do if you became sick Edward. I don't think I could live if I lost you. Promise me that you _will be careful_."

By this time, the man was lying on the ground panting and coughing.

"I'm going to get you help," I said, but there was no response.

I took one last look at the man on the ground and quickly left the area my heart thudding painfully in my chest.

I would try to find a police officer.

As I hurried down the street, however, I started noticing things that I had largely ignored.

No one was on the streets- no cars, no people, nothing.

The only sound that I heard was my own breathing and the fluttering of posters which were plastered on all spare wall space as they flapped in the wind.

One poster fluttered to the ground in front of me and I bent down to pick it up.

There was a cartoon of a man wearing a filter mask and under it was a slogan that said, "Cover up each cough and sneeze. If you don't, you'll spread the disease."

This silly slogan filled me strangely with dread.

I looked around again at the houses lining the street. They all seemed empty. Usually, even when the streets were empty, you always knew that there were people around because you could see them or hear them moving around inside.

But now nothing.

It felt like I was the only one left alive.

This sent a shiver down my spine and I started running as fast as I could, desperate to reach the safety of home.

When I reached our house, I threw open the door and slammed it shut leaning heavily against it to catch my breath. My heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was going to break out of my chest.

My mother popped her head out of the kitchen and walked towards me wiping her hands on her apron.

"Thank God, Edward. You're home. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, Mother."

"I wish you wouldn't go outside when you don't need to. It's reckless, Edward."

For once, I didn't argue with her, which made her eyes lock onto mine.

"Did something happen?"

"No," I said quickly.

She stared at me with her piercing brown eyes. My mother could always read people. It was almost impossible to hide anything from her. So I was sure that she knew that I wasn't telling the truth. But after staring at me for a few moments, she looked away without questioning me.

"Okay, well, go get cleaned up for supper. Your father will be home soon."

I heard her cough as she walked into the kitchen and the feeling of dread hit me again full force.

During breakfast, Father told us the stories that were circulating at work.

The government announced that no one was to leave their houses without their masks. People, who failed to do so, would be fined fifty dollars. If they couldn't pay that small fortune, they would be thrown in jail.

He also told us the shocking rumor that people were so scared of the influenza that literally entire families were being locked inside their houses if they were even suspected of being sick. Guards were some times even posted outside their doors so that they could not escape.

There were also rumors that bodies were being buried in mass graves without coffins a short distance outside of the city. Many people were saying that it was the Black Death come again.

While I listened to Father's stories, I couldn't help thinking again about how things got so bad without me noticing.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when he stopped in mid-sentence. He cleared his throat which resulted in a fit of coughs.

I looked at him more carefully and saw that he actually looked quite unwell. The pallor of his face against the black of his hair paired with dark circles under his eyes made him look almost like a ghost. His features, so like mine, seemed sharp and unnatural almost skeletal.

_How did this happen without me noticing?_

I looked quickly to my mother afraid that I would see the same changes in her, but thankfullly, besides looking tired, she was the same.

"Are you okay, Father?" I asked.

"Fine...My throat's dry. Elizabeth, would you mind getting me a glass of water?"

Reaching up to feel my father's forehead, mother gasped. "You're burning up! We need to get you to a bed!"

He began sneezing and coughing bringing up phlegm that gurgled in his lungs which five minutes ago didn't seem to exist.

We stood looking at him frozen.

He had a look of horror on his face.

"Get away from me!" he shouted.

My mother and I jumped away from the table, my chair overturning with a bang.

He started to cough uncontrollably and his breathing was labored.

Mother got him a glass of water but he waved her away frantically.

"Don't touch me." He wheezed and grabbed his kerchief from his pocket and held it in front of his face.

"I have to go to the hospital. I have it!" he gasped.

We looked at him in panic.

My mother started to walk towards him, but I grabbed her arm.

"Mother… No…"

"Edward, let go of me…" she said, but I wouldn't.

"Darling, please don't go… I'll take care of you…" she pleaded.

"No, Elizabeth. Stay with Edward..."

"Father…" I started but he interrupted me.

"Take care of your mother, Edward… Don't follow me."

After giving us one last agonized look, he grabbed his coat and staggered from the house.

We stood for a while unable to process what happened, but then my mother grabbed my hand and started to sob.

**Chicago- August 23, 1918 **

I had been sitting in the window seat staring out at the empty streets all morning. I needed to go out and get supplies, but I was scared.

We had not left the house since the day Father was admitted to the hospital. Against his wishes we went to see him; however, he reacted so violently when he saw us that Dr. Cullen told us that we should not stay for fear that his agitation would make his condition worse.

We returned home feeling helpless.

Now here I sat staring at the window trying to gain the courage to go out to get us supplies. Father had planned on going out to get us some rations on the day that he succumbed to the flu but that was two days ago. It was up to me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to gain the courage then stood up and put on my coat.

When my mother heard me getting ready to go, she came out of the study. When she saw me in my coat, she looked at me with wide scared eyes and grasped my arm.

"Oh, Edward… We can last a few more days without food," she pleaded.

I put on a brave face and smiled at her.

"I'll be okay, Mother. I'll be back soon."

I put on my mask and quickly left before I lost courage.

I tried to move quickly because the shop was only a block away.

The streets were empty at first, but as I turned the corner onto the main street I saw a man scurrying ahead of me. I was happy to see someone else on the street so I started to walk more quickly hoping to talk to him. He kept looking behind himself as if someone were chasing him. When I got closer and his face turned towards me, I pulled up short suddenly terrified. I could only describe it as looking into the face of madness. His face was frozen in a mask of fear that turned my blood to ice. I dashed into an alley wanting to get away from that face fearing that if I looked at it even one more minute I would join him.

I passed one group of people. They were carrying a blanket wrapped body and most of them were sniffling. Whether from sadness or sickness I didn't know, so I shied away from them as well and turned down another alley looking for a shortcut.

In order to stop myself from panicking I tried to only look straight ahead. However, as I came around a corner I stopped at the sight before me.

In the middle of the empty street, stood a little boy who couldn't be more than three years old. He was just standing there looking at the ground sucking his thumb and whimpering. He was thin with dark brown curls surrounding a pale gaunt face. His eyes and nose were red and swollen and I could hear him wheezing from several feet away.

The most disturbing thing was that in the middle of the day on a rather cold autumn day he was dressed in a pair of pajamas covered in teddy bears without any shoes or socks.

I automatically started to go to him. He was just a little boy, but the thought of my mother halted my movement. I couldn't risk catching the influenza not only for myself but for my mother.

At the moment that I made this decision, he looked up and started crying holding out his arms to me.

With a moan of anguish, I turned away and started running and didn't stop until I reached the shop.

**Chicago- August 27, 1918.**

The influenza was taking my family from me.

I paced back and forth between my parents' beds in the hospital ward feeling helpless.

The room was full of gasping, coughing and muffled sobs. My parents' cots were at the far end of the ward past thirty or forty beds which were all full.

They were both slowly drowning. It was agony to hear them struggle for each breath. Dr. Cullen told me that there was nothing that we could do. We just had to pray that their bodies could fight off the infection.

I sat next to my mother and held her hand.

It broke my heart to see her this way. Her clothes were rumpled and filthy. But worse, she looked so fragile. My mother was a small person but her energy always made her seem bigger and stronger than she was. Now, she looked frail and old. Her hair was matted and soaked through with sweat and her skin which normally glowed had an unhealthy bluish tinge. Today, she was having trouble even focusing on me as she gasped for breath while I tried to talk about inconsequential things. Her brown eyes kept straying away from my face to a point on the ceiling.

She barely looked like my mother.

During one of her more lucid moments, she beckoned for me to lean closer. She looked lovingly into my face and said, "You look so much like your father when he was young- so handsome. You have his face- his eyes, nose, even his sly grin," she said in a hoarse whisper tracing my features with her hand.

I forced a smirk onto my face and tried to control the shake in my voice, "Everyone thinks that I look like you because of this crazy hair."

I dragged my hand through my hair knowing that it would cause it to stick up in all directions.

She laughed but then started coughing again. I held a cloth to her mouth but suddenly a gush of blood shot out of her nose spraying the front of my shirt.

I yelled in fear, pulling away.

A nurse ran over to me and looked down at my mother. She then placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm so sorry. There is nothing we can do now. It's just a matter of time."

I put my head in my hands and prayed for a miracle.

My father died that afternoon. He was delirious when he passed. He kept screaming about venom and trying to pull away from me.

I sat by his bedside until his heart stopped beating and then I just rested my head on his chest.

I was so tired.

I heard a voice from behind me say, "Edward, you shouldn't be touching him. It isn't safe."

I looked up at Dr. Cullen in exhaustion and saw his gold eyes looking at me with compassion.

For some strange reason, it was at that moment that I really noticed Dr. Cullen. He was a very distinguished looking man. Every hair on his blonde head was in place and he was composed rather than scared like everyone else. He didn't look drawn and gaunt like everyone else either rather he seemed to glow. This paired with his unusual golden eyes and handsome face made him seem ethereal and out of place.

He was the only physician left. Everyone else had either succumbed to the flu or chosen to save themselves. However, he never avoided even the worst cases.

I turned away from him and said, "What does it matter? I'm going to be alone soon enough. It would be better if I died, too."

I stood up and looked down at my father. It felt as if his green eyes were staring into my soul. They were my eyes and I wondered whether I would look the same when I died. I smoothed his black hair off his forehead and closed his eyes for the last time.

Then I started to walk down the row of beds to my mother but before I got there a fit of coughing struck me and I had to stop to catch my breath.

I felt Dr. Cullen's eyes on the back of my head, but I didn't look back. I knew what I would see. I knew that I would see a look of pity for a dead man walking.

**August 29, 1918**

I was unable to get out of bed. I couldn't catch my breath and I knew that I was going to choke to death- slowly and painfully.

There were shadows all around me, clawing at my bed, screaming for my blood. I knew that they were just waiting for me to sleep in order to savage me.

I tried to scream but all that I came out was a gurgle.

When nurses came to my bedside with cool cloths for my forehead, I tried to beg them with my eyes to save me from the shadows but they didn't understand and the shadows got progressively closer.

But eventually the panic started to wash away. Colors began to fade and a feeling of calm was settling over me. I was no longer so afraid of the shadows. They couldn't hurt me. I was beyond pain.

Then, I looked up and was blinded by the face of an angel.

_Thank God. It was time for me to go._

The angel's sparkling face smiled at me as it took my hand.

I heard a voice whisper in my ear, "Edward, can you understand me?"

I nodded.

"Your mother begged me to save you. I can save you but it means that I will have to change you forever. Do you understand?"

I didn't really understand what he was saying but I just nodded.

"Do you want me to change you, Edward?" the angel whispered.

I nodded.

"Say it," the voice said.

"Yes…"

Then, I felt a sharp pain pierce my neck and was consumed by flames.


	5. Wait What!

**WAIT… WHAT?**

**BELLA**

The look on my face must have been one of fear because Aidin scrambled up off the floor and started to come towards me, but I shook my head and left the room.

I walked into the bathroom and locked the door. Then I sat down on the edge of the tub and just stared at the caller ID for a moment before pressing talk.

"Hello?" I said.

"Bella?"

I couldn't speak for a moment. The sound of her voice took my voice away.

"Yes…"

"Oh, Bella, it is so good to hear your voice," she said in her high pitched musical voice.

"What…What… do you want Alice?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"I need to talk to you. Can we meet?"

I couldn't do it. I couldn't talk to her. Seeing her could destroy everything.

"Why?" I said.

"Bella, it's important but we can't talk about it on the phone."

"I'm in Florida, Alice. I can't just jump on a plane and fly to Alaska."

"I know, Bella. I'm already in Florida," she said hesitantly.

I felt panic gripping my chest. My head started to spin. The flood gates had opened and the memories of three years ago started to wash over me.

"_I never thought that any of you were in danger-" _

"_We looked for any sign of Edward-" _

"_I'm so sorry, Bella-" _

"Bella?" Her voice sounded far away.

"_Oh God… This can't be happening… Edward, please… no-"_

"Bella?" Alice said again pulling me out of my memories.

"Why are you here?" I said trying to focus by concentrating on taking in long slow breaths.

"I need to talk to you face to face. It's important. Will you see me?" she pleaded.

"Uh, I don't know. I have finals this week…" I said coming up with the first excuse I could think of. I couldn't see her. It was too painful.

"Please, Bella. It's about Edward…"

"_Bella, I'm going to give you some privacy. I won't go far, but I won't listen either. I know you don't want an audience, no matter which way you decide to go."_

"Bella, are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm here. When do you want to meet?"

"Could you come to our hotel tomorrow?"

"Where are you staying?"

She gave me her address and I hung up the phone. Then I just sat and stared at the wall lost in a swirl of memories and nightmares.

"Come on, babe, open the door. Please, Bella, answer me!"

Aidin's worried voice pulled me out of my trance. I wasn't sure how long he had been calling my name, but his strained voice forced me to act. I stood up slowly and opened the door. I walked past Aidin's concerned face and went into the living room to sit down on the couch. Sarah sat down on the couch next to me and Aidin crouched in front of me resting his hands on my knees.

"That was Edward's sister. She needs to see me tomorrow," I said in a dull voice.

"Are you ok, babe?" he said trying to look into my eyes.

I shook my head and slid to the floor and into his arms.

I arrived at Alice's hotel at around one o'clock and took an elevator up to her room. Aidin had offered to come with me, but I knew that it was something that I had to do alone. I also wasn't sure how he would react to the Cullens.

_Would more of them be here besides Alice and Jasper?_

I hadn't thought of the possibility of seeing the others and my anxiety shot up another notch. I stood in front of their room for a moment considering leaving but after taking a deep breath I knocked.

The door opened immediately and strong arms pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Oh, Bella, I've missed you so much…"

She looked and smelled exactly the same. I clung to her for a moment but then tried to push her away. She stepped away from me with a sad look in her golden eyes and then beckoned me into the room.

Jasper was standing in the entry way of the large suite. When I saw him, he walked over to me but instead of stopping at a safe distance he pulled me into a hug, too. His body was tense but he held me for a moment before stepping quickly away. I felt a soothing wave of relaxation settle over me.

"Bella, we've missed you,' he said in his quiet southern accent.

I was surprised to hear him say that. He had never been comfortable in my presence especially after trying to kill me on my birthday.

I stepped farther away from both of them feeling the need for distance so that I could keep my composure. I sat down in one of the chairs at the end of the bed and looked at them with dread. I needed to know what happened to Edward, but I was so afraid of hearing about his final moments.

"Bella, we're sorry that we didn't stay in touch…" Alice started.

I raised my hand for her to stop before she went any further.

"Alice, you don't need to apologize. I needed a clean break after Edward's death."

A strange look of apprehension crossed her face.

"What, Alice? You said that you had news about Edward. Did you find out what killed him?" I said anxiously.

She just stared at me a moment before saying, "I don't think he's dead …"

I gasped.

"What? Did you have a vision Alice? Where is he?"

The questions came pouring out of me.

She hesitated again.

"Come on, Alice. What is this all about?" I said unable to contain my anxiety.

"When Edward first disappeared, it was like he had ceased to exist, so I was sure that he was dead. However, for a couple of months now, I've been getting flashes of Edward. They are just flashes, so at first I thought they were just because I missed him, so I dismissed them as just random thoughts. Then, I started to realize that they were not memories that I have of him. They actually don't make sense at all."

"Please, Alice. Tell me."

"The first one is of Edward running through the forest. He keeps looking over his shoulder as if someone is chasing him."

Her eyes were far away as she described her vision to me and I knew that she was reliving it in her head.

"Another is of him wandering around city streets. Everywhere he turns people are dying. He is dizzy and disoriented and scared."

I inhaled sharply at the word "scared" and my heart clenched.

"The last one is of Edward in a white room alone. He sees a door but when he opens it hands grab him and pull him back into the room."

"What do they mean?" I said, my voice shaking from the impending hysteria.

"I don't know, but it is the first piece of hope that I have had in three years that my brother is alive."

Walking back to my dorm, I was filled with nervous energy. A range of emotions were flooding my system in quick succession—disbelief, hope, desperation, fear.

One question haunted me.

_What could cause Edward to be scared?_

We discussed whether it was the Volturi but Alice said that she had been watching Aro for any sign of Edward and there was nothing. She told me that she would contact me when she got any more visions or news.

_But how was I just supposed to wait for her call? _

When I got to my room, I dropped everything and collapsed onto my bed staring up at the ceiling. Then I took out my cell phone and called Charlie.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Dad."

"Bells, I haven't heard from you in a long time. How are you?"

"I'm good, Dad…" I paused trying to think of how to say it.

"Kid, are you ok?"

I took a deep breath, "Dad, if someone had been missing for a while but you heard a rumor that this person may have been seen, what would you do?"

"Oh, Bella…" he said sadly.

"Please, Dad."

"Bella, Edward's gone. You need to-"

"Dad, can you just tell me?" I pleaded.

Charlie sighed and then said, "Bella, a rumor isn't enough to go on. Where did this rumor come from? Where was he sighted?"

I couldn't answer any of his questions.

"Bella…"

"Please, Dad. Give me something," I said trying to remain calm but not being able to prevent the quiver in my voice.

"Well, you would probably go back to the missing persons databases and update the information. Put up more photos. But it's a long shot, Bells," he said.

"Thanks, Dad. I gotta go…"

"Bella, just wait…"

I hung up the phone and shut it off letting out a ragged breath. I flung myself up off my bed and ripped through my closet trying to find the box that I had brought from home.

Sarah came home as I was maniacally throwing everything in my way onto the floor.

"Bella, where have you been? Aidin and I have been waiting for you at his place."

I found the box where it was shoved to the back of my closet. I pulled it up on to the bed and started to paw through the contents becoming increasingly worried that I had lost them. Finally, I found the envelope of photos and started to sift through them. Suddenly, his face was in front of me and I had to grab my chest because the ache was so painful.

Sarah sat down next to me.

"Is that Edward?"

I nodded.

She took the photos from my hands and looked through them one by one.

"Are these your prom photos?"

I nodded.

"He was very handsome. You guys looked so happy…"

I couldn't stop a tear from trickling down my cheek. I grabbed the pictures back from her so I could trace his features with my fingertips- his strong jaw, straight nose, beautiful golden eyes, and his unruly bronze hair. Then I pulled myself out of my trance.

"We have to go to Aidin's."

"Yes, I think that's a great idea. He's really worried."

"I need to borrow his scanner. I want to get these pictures on the missing persons databases."

**ALICE **

Jasper sent a wave of relaxation towards me but it didn't really help. I kept sifting through my visions of Edward. What did they mean? The only one that really could give me any information was the one of Edward stumbling around busy city streets. I kept looking for any familiar markers. It was definitely a city. The sounds and sights were just like any city you would find in North America. However, it was hard to get a really good look at any of the buildings because Edward was not focusing on any one thing for very long. He was dizzy, confused, and so scared that his heart was pounding…

_WAIT… WHAT? _


	6. Fear Guilt and Illness

**A/N: **If you're liking my story, I'd love some reviews.

**FEAR, GUILT, AND ILLNESS**

**EDWARD **

I awoke to a rush of fear filling my body.

I struggled to open my eyes, but it was like I was at the bottom of a lake struggling to reach the surface but sinking just before reaching it.

I gave up struggling and instead just listened to the sounds around me.

_Was I in Heaven? _

_Why then couldn't I open my eyes?_

I listened intently to the sounds around me and heard the sounds of birds twittering and trees crackling as the wind blew through their branches. I loved the sound of the cold wind through the trees.

_I am just camping with Father. It was all a nightmare._

I smiled.

Mother thought we were crazy to come to Glacial Park in McHenry County to camp because we could only reach it by canoe. However, that was exactly the attraction. You could never really get away from people in Chicago.

I stretched wanting to greet the day.

My muscles screamed out in pain.

My eyes flew open.

I tried to look around me but everything was blurry.

I sat up with difficulty and stared around trying to get my bearings but there was nothing familiar only trees.

"Father?" I called.

Silence.

"Father, I'm sick," I said.

But there was no answer.

_Where was I?_

I listened intently waiting to hear my father's voice but there was nothing.

Then, in the trees, I thought that I could hear tree branches snapping as if someone were walking towards me.

I felt a sense of relief. He must have been getting firewood and couldn't hear my call.

"Father?"

The sound of branches snapping stopped.

I pulled myself up to my feet and waited. I had a feeling of uneasiness but I swept it away as a figment of my imagination.

And then I heard it again _snap snap snap_ and it was getting closer.

"Father?" I said, but more hesitantly.

The snapping stopped but no answer came. If he were close enough to hear me calling, then he was close enough to answer. The uneasiness came back full force.

When the snapping began again, it sounded as if the person were moving more quickly. I looked around and noticed for the first time that there was no tent. I had been lying on the ground in the middle of an empty clearing.

At this realization, a voice inside my head yelled,_ RUN!_

I turned and started to stagger into the forest forcing myself to move as fast as I could.

* * *

**BELLA **

I updated all of Edward's profiles on the missing persons databases but the information I had made no sense. I couldn't say where he was seen. I couldn't say how I found out the information. I knew that it was probably futile but I had to try. I changed the contact number from mine to Alice's because she could be reached night and day. If Edward were out there, I was going to find him. It didn't matter how long it took.

For days I sifted through the databases, newspapers, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. I had absolutely nothing to go on.

I knew that Aidin was hurt by my obsession, but Edward consumed all of my thoughts. I was searching through posts on the missing person database when my cell rang. Expecting it to be Sarah or Aidin, I answered it and said, "Hey guys, I'm kind of busy can I call you back?"

"Bella! I think that he is in Canada," Alice high pitched voice said excitedly.

"What? Did you get another vision?"

"No, not another one. I went back into the visions of him and looked for details. Bella… there is one more thing… He has a heartbeat…"

* * *

Alice was only able to guess that Edward was in Canada because of a Canadian flag in the window of an apartment building, but she couldn't find any other markers to say what province or city he was in.

However, her vision was quite clear that his heart was beating.

But then, nothing.

_It was all just a cruel joke. _

This thought echoed in my head every morning when I first opened my eyes after a restless sleep. The only way that I could fall asleep at all was to listen to my lullaby. I put it on my iPod and listened to it over and over again all night long.

I listened to it and dreamed of Edward.

I started back to classes but I didn't really pay attention and my marks suffered. Sarah tried to pull me out of my fog, but I didn't listen.

Aidin was at first sympathetic, but then I could tell that he was just hurt and angry. I knew that I was being unfair to him, but my thoughts of Edward kept pulling me away from him. But after several refusals to spend time with him, I finally accepted knowing that I couldn't continue hurting him.

We went to a movie and then went out for a late dinner at a Guatemalan restaurant. For the first time in our relationship, our conversation didn't come easy. There was a distance between us that made me really sad.

I looked at him across the table while he told me about one of his classes and for the first time in what felt like forever I truly saw him. There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked so sad.

_I had done this to him. _

I reached up and traced his face, my heart opening up to him.

"I'm so sorry, Aidin," I whispered.

He smiled wistfully.

"It's okay, Bell," he whispered, but then looked away and asked for the check.

We walked back to the dorm in silence.

Aidin started to walk a little ahead of me and I felt the distance between us getting wider. I reached out and took his hand not wanting to lose him. He squeezed my hand in response.

I pulled him to a stop and turned him towards me.

_This was Aidin. I couldn't just give up on him. He was the only one that I had. _

I took both of his hands in mine and smiled at him.

"Aidin, I really do love you," I said my lip quivering.

"I know, Bell. Just not as much as Edward," he said and looked up at the sky.

I pulled his face down to me and silenced him with my lips.

"It's okay, Bell," he whispered pulling his face away from me but I didn't want to listen.

I kissed him again.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me up against him kissing me hard. I shivered and weaved my fingers into his hair. He pulled his mouth away and said in a hoarse voice.

"Oh God, Bella, I love you so much."

At the raw emotion in his voice as he said these words, guilt crashed down on me. A sob escaped my lips and I pulled away from him.

"I… I… I…" I stuttered not having the words.

His look of confusion was replaced by a look of pain.

"Bella…"

I couldn't look at him anymore so I turned and ran into the dorm.

* * *

**EDWARD**

I dreamt of bright lights, loud sirens, hundreds of eyes staring at me as they flew by.

Then I dreamt of people standing over me. They were talking to each other but I couldn't understand the words. They buzzed in my ears and I wanted to block out the sound but my arms were like lead.

When I awoke, it was dark.

I was sweating. _Fever_ I thought groggily. I felt so weak and pain stabbed through me with every breath. I tried to lift my hand to my head but I gave up. Every movement caused my chest to spasm and I coughed painfully.

My head felt enormous and it throbbed with every beat of my heart, but I could scarcely feel my body.

_Where was I?_

I tried to call out to someone- anyone.

But no one came.

No one heard.

I was alone.

I fell back into a troubled sleep.

But then I dreamt of a woman with long brown hair, beautiful brown eyes, and a heart shaped face that filled me full of love that instinctively pulled me towards her. Her smile washed over me taking away some of the pain. Her lips on mine were like a fire that seared away fear and I was left with a feeling of peace. I smiled at her with my heart in my throat, but when I tried to reach out to her she faded away with a wistful smile.

The next time I woke someone was holding a glass of water to my lips. I choked on the first mouthful and then I drank greedily. The cold hurt my throat but it was a good pain as if it were quenching the fire within me.

I slept.

I awoke in darkness. Something felt wrong. I was alone but I had no idea where I was.

Pushing back the blankets, I tried to sit up but I was so weak I had to lay back down. My right side was one huge ache and my throat and lungs felt raw, as if I had been screaming for hours.

_What happened to me? _

Gritting my teeth I forced myself to sit up. I looked around the room but even that small amount of effort made me feel dizzy. The room whirled around me all dark shadows. I was in a hospital room but it wasn't the ward where my parents were being treated. I couldn't process what was going on around me.

I had to lie back down exhausted and lapsed into a restless sleep.

I dreamt again. This time, of a better place, a small town nestled in a valley that was always covered in a blanket of fog but felt like home.

I woke up to a bright light in front of my eyes. I tried to shield them, but it only served to block out some of the light.

I tried to sit up, but I couldn't. The pain was less but now I was weak, too weak.

"How are you doing handsome? You're looking a little better," said a gentle female voice.

I took in a ragged breath and hoarsely said, "Who are you?"

A shiver racked my body. My clothes were soaked with sweat and the chill of the air was causing cold to seep into my skin.

Noticing my reaction, the woman pulled a blanket over my body.

"I'm your nurse, handsome. Don't worry, you are in the hospital."

The woman removed the light out of my eyes but it still took me a moment for my eyes to adjust.

Once I was able to see again, I saw a woman who looked to be the age of my mother. Under her kind gaze and gentle, I felt myself starting to relax.

She sniffed and blew her nose into a tissue.

"Why am I here?" I said.

"Someone found you in an alley. They said that they could hear you screaming. You were delirious and you kept screaming that you had to hide. They brought you to the hospital and we've been treating you for over a week. You had one of the nastiest flu bugs that I have ever seen and you also seemed to have been in some kind of accident. Were you hit by a car, handsome?" she looked at me questioningly.

A memory flashed through my brain

_A loud screech followed by something hitting me hard. Blinding pain as I hurtled through the air. A man's face above me blocking the sun that was in my eyes. "Oh my God, man! Are you okay? I didn't see you!"_

"Maybe…" was all that I could say.

"Well, you've been really sick, handsome, and it seems like it's spreading. Since you were admitted, there have been already many more cases that have come through the doors."

She raised her hand in a pause and sneezed explosively covering her nose and mouth with her arm before continuing.

"We would have called your family, but you don't have any ID on you. You must have been robbed, you poor dear. You've had quite a string of bad luck. But you are safe now. You just need to relax and let the medicine do its job."

"Thank you."

"What is your name sweetheart?" she said gently.

"Edward Masen," I said tiredly.

"Well, Edward, do you want me to call anyone for you?"

I thought for a moment.

_My father was dead and my mother could be as well by now. There was no one._

I shook my head and closed my eyes.

She patted my shoulder and I could hear her puttering around the room.

I felt like I was going crazy.

My memories didn't make any sense- hospital, forest, a flash of blinding pain, hospital.

So, I used a technique that I had used since childhood. I closed my eyes and started to try to build a melody in my mind. My mother said that I was her little Mozart writing symphonies before the age of ten. It always really embarrassed me because it was just a method to focus my mind. I wasn't a real musician.

A melody came to my mind almost instantly and when I started to hum it a feeling of peace and warmth settled over me. It was familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.

"That's a pretty song. Who wrote it?" she said as she checked a needle that was inserted in my hand which was connected to a bag of fluid on a stand. It tugged uncomfortably at my hand and I flinched.

"I think I wrote it," I said unsure.

"Hmmm… you must have been through something all right if you can't remember writing something so beautiful," she said with a smile and a wink.

I closed my eyes.

She continued to talk but I slowly started to drift away.

* * *

**VANCOUVER SUN, SUNDAY May12, 2009**

**HEADLINE: REASON FOR CONCERN?**

**REPORTER: Adele Jenkins**

Should people be worried this flu season? Researchers say yes. There is a new influenza virus that is spreading quickly here in Vancouver. Already there have been 111 reported cases in just one hospital; however, doctors say that it is appearing elsewhere in the city now. One doctor says that he believes that we are only just beginning to feel the effects of this virus because regular treatments do not seem to be effective. The most worrying aspect of this illness is that the victims are all people who are in their prime, not the elderly or children who are the most commonly affected by influenza outbreaks. These patients are admitted with flu like symptoms but quickly begin experiencing respiratory difficulties

Officials have not released any information about the search for a treatment. As of yet, the only advice that the public is being given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is to wash your hands frequently and avoid public places as much as possible.

If you suspect that you or any of your loved ones have become infected, call the Medicaid hotline- 1-800-566-0010


	7. Patient Zero

**PATIENT ZERO**

**EDWARD**

Another night passed.

I wasn't sick anymore. The fever had broken a few nights ago and my congestion had cleared up for the most part. I was the only one, the nurses said, whose immune system was strong enough to fight off the disease. I was a real mystery and they were flying in doctors from different hospitals to see if they could figure me out.

I slept a lot because for the most part I was left alone. When I first arrived, they forced me to undergo a series of rather painful invasive tests, but after that they just left me alone beyond bringing me three meals a day.

At first, when any doctor or nurse came into the room, they were dressed from head to toe in a kind of protective suit, but when I continued to get better they became more lax in their dress but seemingly more and more suspicious in their looks and behavior.

When I looked out the window of my door, I saw more and more patients being wheeled by and there were an increasing number of doctors at the nurse's station who would often point at my door and look through a file. But when I would open the door and ask if I could leave, the two guards posted outside would block my exit and the doctors would say that I needed to stay for a few more days.

So I slept and dreamed a lot, especially one dream which haunted me.

_I am standing in the middle of a forest, nearly crippled with despair. I want to run to her, but deep down I know that letting her go is for the best. Then I hear a voice that says, "Hello, Edward. I'm so glad we found you. I've heard a lot about you and your bloodsucking family."_

_The dream, then, changes. I am begging someone to not hurt her but the only response is snarls coming from all around me. _

_Then, I am kneeling on the ground in defeat, but a feeling of peace settles over me because even though I know that I will have to surrender, she will be safe. _

At this point, I would always wake up.

I couldn't make any sense of it. Usually my dreams would have some kind of connection to reality, but I couldn't find very much in this dream that made sense. The only thing that was clear was that in my dream there was a woman, who meant so much to me that I was willing to die for her. That part of the dream felt very real and stayed with me even after I woke up.

Then, reality slammed into me with one conversation.

I was staring out the window of my room, when Janet, one of the nurses that had been bringing my meals, came in.

"Hello, sweetheart, we have a delicious meal for you today- a brown meat product and some kind of mashed vegetable. Also, for desert we have some kind of tasteless pudding."

I smiled at her.

She stopped, balancing the tray on one hand and fluttered the other against her chest

"Wow, you're gorgeous when you smile. I'm amazed that I haven't swooned yet."

I blushed at her words. Almost all of the nurses commented on how pretty, handsome, beautiful I was. One of them actually said that I was "sex on two legs" with my hair crying out to be mussed. It was very strange. Women were usually not that forward or at least not the women that I had ever met.

After putting down the tray, Janet sat down in the chair and talked as I ate. I took one bite and then put down my fork. She was right, it _was_ tasteless. It tasted just as I would imagine dirt must taste like. However, my stomach growled so I picked up the fork and forced the food down my throat.

"So, Shawn and I went out to the movies last night. I wanted to go see a romantic comedy but Shawn said that it was his turn to pick. He actually dragged me to a movie about zombies. Can you believe that? He invited me out on a date and takes me to a horror film. Who does that?"

I looked up at her and shrugged.

"Well, anyway, I was really irritated with him, so when he asked me to go back to his place for some hot sex I told him to go to hell. He would have to sleep alone this time."

My face flamed red again when she mentioned sex and I quickly looked back down at my food before my face revealed my shock.

_Was she really telling me that her date propositioned her and she refused him __**this**__ time? _

"You wouldn't take a date to a horror movie, would you, Edward? I bet you wouldn't…"

I knew that I had to say something, so I looked up at her and said, "So, how did he respond to you when you refused him?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes.

"He had the gall to tell me that it was a great date movie because everyone knew that it was going to win best picture for 2009."

I stopped eating frozen by her words.

"What did you say?" I said slowly.

She looked at me in confusion.

"He told me that it was a great date movie because it was going to win best picture for 2009."

I shook my head.

"No…"

"Edward-"

"No!"

"Edward?"

"NO NO NO NO…." I covered my ears to block out her words.

_I was mad. _

_This was proof. _

Janet ran out of the room calling for help.

**BELLA**

Over the next few weeks, searching became even harder. It was almost impossible to get any information from public offices in different areas because they were all focused on containing an epidemic that officials were saying was even more serious than the Spanish Influenza which killed more people than WWI. Deaths were just now starting to be reported and the numbers were shocking.

Sarah and Aidin were not speaking to me. Aidin wouldn't answer my calls after I left him on the sidewalk outside of my residence and after a lengthy conversation with Sarah she said that when I came to my senses and stopped chasing after a ghost they would be waiting.

I talked to Alice about once a week, but there was never any news.

I was in the middle of my British History class when my phone rang. Everyone glared at me and I mouthed "sorry" as I got up and left the room.

"Hello?"

"Bella?"

It was Alice and she sounded excited.

My heart rate sped up.

"Yeah?"

"Come quick. We're going to Vancouver."

Shortly after talking to her on the phone, I arrived at my dorm. Alice was practically bouncing off walls. She had been contacted by the police because they had found one of my notices on an international missing persons database which matched someone that had been admitted to the hospital. After some initial questions ascertaining that she did indeed know Edward, they gave her a number in order to contact his doctor at the hospital.

Alice had set up a meeting for Carlisle with Edward's doctor the following day.

We jumped on a plane that night.

We met up with the rest of the Cullens at a hotel in downtown Vancouver. I hadn't seen all of them in the same place in three years and I was scared. But when I paused at the door, Alice took my hand and dragged me into the room.

The minute I entered their hotel room, Emmett appeared at my side and picked me up in a bear hug. He was even bigger than I remembered but his hugs felt just the same. I started to tear up, but I got control of it. However, when I saw Esme and Carlisle the tears came. Everything was just too much and I was momentarily overwhelmed as I flung myself into Esme's arms. She held me tight, but there was no time for tears.

"So, what are the doctors saying?" Jasper said.

"They said that he came into the hospital critically ill with the influenza virus and injuries which were apparently caused by being hit by a car. He was delirious screaming that someone was chasing him," Carlisle said.

"This is so fucked up," Emmett said, running his hand through his sandy brown hair.

"Why are we all so upset? Edward is still alive. He isn't dead. We should all be happy," I said in confusion pushing myself away from Esme.

I had become increasingly desperate on the airplane. It was as if I could feel myself getting closer to him. I kept imagining seeing him again, his beautiful face smiling at me as he took me in his arms. However, when we touched down at the airport, Alice wouldn't let me go to him. I begged her. I could feel how close he was. I wanted him; I needed him. I couldn't just wait when I knew that he was only a few blocks away, but Alice told me that we couldn't go until we knew what kind of situation we would be walking into.

I thought about trying to make a getaway, but Alice looked at me with a glare.

"Don't you dare, Bella," she warned.

I sighed in frustration and glared at her for the remainder of the taxi ride.

I was snapped back to reality at Rosalie's voice.

"Bella... he's in a hospital and he is acting strangely. He's not a vampire anymore, but we don't know what he is. How is this good?" Rosalie said in exasperation.

"This is a very dangerous situation, Bella, because we all know that when they do tests on him, the results will not come back normal. No vampire has ever been known to just revert back to their human state," Carlisle said walking to the window of the room and staring out at the mountains. "I just hope that it is not too late. We have to hope that whatever tests that they have done on Edward, will take a while to be analyzed because of a back log. From what I can gather, the hospital is being overrun by influenza patients."

"In the meantime, we have to scope out the hospital, so that we can get Edward out as soon as possible. We can't allow anyone to discover what he is," Jasper said.

"But he's alive! Actually alive!" I said, my body shaking from the pent up emotion.

"Yes, but how?" Jasper said quietly.

After Carlisle left for the hospital, we continued to make our plans.

"Regardless of what Carlisle discovers we need to get Edward out tomorrow night," Jasper said.

Everyone looked at him.

"Have any of you thought about the other problem that we have? Edward seems not to be a vampire anymore, but we don't know how or why. How do we know that he will stay that way? What happens if he returns to his former state while he is in custody? Also, what happens when the blood tests that have been done on him come back other than normal? From what the news reports are saying, everyone who has contracted this virus is dying yet Edward is still alive and he was infected weeks ago. Doesn't that seem suspicious?" Jasper explained.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Well, how can we get him out, bro?" Emmet said.

"Well, we need some outside help. We need someone that can go places without drawing attention while we go in and get him," Jasper said firmly looking at me.

"Why can't I do it?" I said.

"Bella, there is an epidemic going on out there that is killing everyone infected. You can't go into the hospital where you could get exposed. I know that you want to help but we need someone who can go where we can't and also be safe from the disease," Jasper responded.

"Well, who do you suggest? Another vampire would be just as conspicuous," I said in frustration.

"We'll call Jacob…" he said in a calm voice, looking at me steadily.

"No," I said flatly.

"Bella, we need help. Jacob knows about us. He can go places that we can't but is also strong enough to withstand the illness," Jasper said soothingly.

"No!"

"Jacob will help us. I know he will. The minute you mentioned Jacob my vision of you and Emmett disappeared," Alice said excitedly to Jasper.

"Will they be able to get him out?" I asked desperately.

"I don't know," she frowned, "whenever the mutts are involved, my visions stop working. It is so frustrating!" she growled.

"Bella, we need Jacob's help," Esme said gently.

I looked down at my hands. I knew they were right, but I didn't know if I could face him.

When Carlisle returned from the hospital, we were all waiting impatiently to hear his news. Excitement bubbled inside me and I could barely contain it when he walked into the room. However, my excitement turned to despair.

The doctors wouldn't let Carlisle see him.

"What do you think happened to him? Why won't they let you see him?" I gasped.

"From what I could gather from his doctors, when he was hit by the car, he had the flu and was immediately taken to the hospital. Once there his body fought off the infection, but not before he infected the paramedics, the ER doctors, his nurse, and the disease spread from there. They are calling him patient zero because they believe that this flu epidemic started with him, which is extremely troubling. Also, he is the only one who has been able to fight off the infection and doctors want to know why, so they've done tests on him and are waiting for the results before they will even consider releasing him. Then, a few nights ago, after a conversation with one of his nurses, Edward snapped and started raving about being crazy and yelling that something 'wasn't true.' The doctors don't know what set him off but they needed to sedate him because they were afraid that he would hurt himself. They won't let any visitors in to see him because they don't want to cause him any unnecessary stress," Carlisle said running his hand through his hair in a gesture of frustration.

"So, let me get this straight. What you're saying is that Edward is not a vampire anymore, he had the same influenza that nearly killed him in 1918 and it is now spreading across Canada, and now he is off his rocker?" Emmett said.

Carlisle simply nodded.

"Sweet Moses! What the hell is going on?" he said as he roughly scrubbed his hands over his face in a very human gesture of frustration.

"He is under strict security. The hospital wants to know why he has recovered and no one else has, so they are going to send his blood to the Centers for Disease Control," Carlisle said.

"We can't let that happen," Jasper said firmly.

"What do we do then?" Carlisle said.

"We go get him," Jasper said looking around the room.

That night Jacob arrived.

Alice sat down with me and tried to reassure me before I had to see him.

"Bella, you know that you can't continue to blame Jacob for what happened. Not only that, we need him. Releasing Edward needs to be our priority. You need to set your feelings aside for Edward's sake."

I nodded reluctantly.

"He's in room 118. He is waiting for you," Alice said as she patted me on my shoulder.

I sat there for a few more minutes and then I took a deep breath and headed for Jacob's room. I knocked on the door and it was opened quickly.

Jacob had changed.

At first, I only saw Jake- his size, his hair, his tan skin, but then I saw the differences. He was much thinner than I remembered and when I finally met his eyes I saw that the light that had always been the epitome of Jake was gone.

"Bella," he said quietly but didn't make a move towards me. Instead he stepped back and allowed me to enter.

I didn't say anything. I just stood there uncomfortably in the doorway.

"Do you want to sit?" he said nervously.

I nodded numbly and walked over to a chair by the window.

"Carlisle said that you needed my help but he couldn't explain it over the phone. What can I do?"

"It's Edward. I need you to help Edward," I said.

His eyes widened and he sat forward. "He's alive?" he gasped.

"Yes, he's alive… and he seems to be human but the situation is complicated," I said hesitantly.

He looked at me stunned.

"More complicated than Edward being human?"

"Much more… Have you heard of the person they are calling patient zero?" I said.

He nodded.

"It's Edward."

Jacob and Carlisle went to see the doctor in charge of Edward's case the next morning. Their plan was to go to the doctor's office on the first floor and ask him the steps that they needed to take in order to see Edward knowing full well that they would be refused. While Carlisle waited for an answer, Jacob would say that he was going to get something to eat but would instead go to Edward's floor and try to find a way that they could get Edward out without alerting the guards.

We all waited in the hotel room watching the clock. I paced back and forth not being able to sit down because of the nervous energy pulsing through me. The rest of the Cullens stood around the room as still as only vampires could be, but the tension flowing off of them was palpable.

_What was taking them so long?_

After what seemed like hours, the door opened and Jacob and Carlisle entered the room. Carlisle first told us that, as he had expected, they were not going to allow him to see Edward. Then everyone turned to Jacob who had sat down in one of the chairs in the room. I couldn't tell from the expression on his face whether it was good news or bad.

"Ok, from what I could gather, there are two guards posted outside his room. However, the room to his left is occupied by a man named Johnston Raynes and is unguarded, so I pretended that I was there to see him. I had to wear a gown, surgical mask, and gloves but they still allowed me to see him. He seems to be catatonic, so we could use him as a diversion. I said that I was his nephew and I stayed in his room quite a while undisturbed. While I was there, I noticed that the guards take regular breaks one at a time. One is always left behind, but the other is gone for about 15 minutes. From what I can tell, the nurse's station is usually only occupied by one person when the doctors are not making their rounds. When I rang the call bell, the nurse left the station and no one replaced her. I kept her in the room for at least ten minutes before she told me that she had to get back to the station. That was all that I could find out without appearing suspicious. I was thinking that when we go to rescue Edward, I could say that I was back to visit my 'uncle.' While I am in his room, I could pry the bars off the window, so that Emmett and Jasper can get in without being seen on the security cameras… That's about as far as I got in planning for the 'Great Escape,'" he said with a wry but sad smile.

I stared at him, tears coming to my eyes.

He stood up with a nod and said that he needed to get a shower and something to eat. As he left the room, I stood up and quickly went after him. I grabbed his arm and turned him around to look at me. He looked at me apprehensively. I had not spoken to him beyond necessity since he had arrived.

I lunged at him and hugged him to me as tight as possible. Then I pulled back and looking into his eyes said, "Thank you so much, Jake. I do not deserve your help. I know that."

He shook his head. "Bells, I have been haunted by that moment in the forest since the day it happened. I'm so sorry."

We hugged again and then he pulled back and said gruffly, "You need to get some rest too. These bloodsuckers don't know that humans need food and rest at regular intervals. We need all of our energy if we are going to rescue Edward."

I pulled him back to me with a sob.


	8. The Great Escape

**THE GREAT ESCAPE**

**EDWARD**

_Fire… burning… pain… why are you doing this… let me out… _

**Thump-**

_Don't hurt her… Bella…_

**Snap-**

_Let me out…_

**Thump-**

I awoke slowly- my mind muddled, not able to shake the fog from my head. My body was still vibrating with pain and fear. However, when I opened my eyes, the pain from my nightmare was only replaced by another. The stark whiteness of the room burned my eyes, making them water, which caused me to remember the purgatory that my brain had created- a small white room, separate from anything or anyone familiar, not even in my own time.

Then, I heard the sound that must have jolted me out of my drug induced sleep. There was a muffled thump outside my door followed by a scratching sound.

I heard it again more loudly and then there was a snap as the door started to open. I threw myself off the bed and scrambled into the corner furthest from the door. I propped myself up in the corner, not knowing what to expect but feeling a sense of dread. The door slowly creaked open and I cringed back against the wall as the outline of a very large man and a slightly smaller one crept into the room.

"Please…" I begged.

The big one's head snapped towards me and I was pinned under its stare.

The creature's sparkling face filled me with terror. This creature and the one next to it were just like the one that had ripped me from my reality and thrown me into this hell. I had thought that it had been an angel sent to to take me to heaven, but now I knew that it was in fact a demon.

"No! NO!" I started to shout but the smaller one lunged at me and put a hand over my mouth.

A sickeningly sweet smell flooded my senses, momentarily choking me, but soon it drowned all of my fears and left me with a feeling of calm.

"Edward, we're not here to hurt you. We are here to get you out, but you have to be quiet," the smaller creature whispered.

Its musical voice made me smile, but I knew that there was something that I should be concerned about. I tried to shake off the pleasant daze, but it was impossible.

"We have to move fast before someone finds out we broke in. Emmet is going to carry you, ok? You're going to see and experience some strange things, but you have to trust us."

_Emmett? _

Again I tried to shake off the daze.

As the big one came towards me, one of the security guards that had been posted outside of my room barged in with his gun drawn. He swept the room with his weapon before zeroing in on me. The big one whipped around with a snarl and lunged towards the guard, but the smaller demon was faster. Before the security guard had the chance to protect himself, the smaller one hit him on the head knocking him unconscious. It looked like nothing more than a tap, but the guard crumbled immediately.

The big one then focused his attention on me and reached out to grab me. I lashed out at him with my fist knowing that I needed to get away, but when I hit the creature blinding pain shot through my arm. It was like striking a rock and pain reverberated throughout my body.

The creature, without any effort, lifted me and pinned my arms to my sides so I couldn't move. Then, before my mind could register what was happening we were out of my room and into the one next to mine. A large man was sitting in a visitor's chair, tapping his foot at a frantic pace, but when he saw me his jaw dropped.

"Holy shit!" he hissed as he jumped ot his feet.

I looked to the left of the man and noticed the crumpled forms of the other guard and Janet propped in the corner. I moaned and tried to pull away from the creature holding me, but my attempts to get away did nothing to loosen the grasp of the demon.

He walked over to the window that was open and said to me in his musical voice, "Ok, Edward, we're going to jump. You'll be ok, man."

We were on the third floor. It was suicide. But without even hesitating, the creature climbed up on the window sill and jumped.

Everything went black…

**BELLA**

I paced.

They wouldn't let me go with them. I knew that it made sense, but being so helpless was unbearable. The plan was that Jacob would be the decoy. He would say that he was visiting Mr. Raynes but once in the room he would pry the bars off the window for Emmet and Jasper. Jacob would then ring the buzzer for the nurse when one of the guards went on break. Once the nurse was in the room, he would knock her out and then create a commotion in order to lure the guard left standing outside into the room as well. Then Emmett and Jasper would have ten minutes before the other guard returned to get Edward out. Jacob promised me that he would call my cell phone when they were safe.

I knew it was a good plan, but I couldn't stop pacing and looking at the clock.

Alice told me that I was overreacting, but her stillness told me otherwise. With Jacob involved she was as blind as the rest of us.

We watched the clock as each second ticked by.

The shrill sound of my phone made me yelp in surprise. I sounded overly loud in the tense silence of the room. I grabbed for my cell but my hands were shaking so badly that I nearly dropped it before I could press talk.

"Hello?"

"Bella! We have him. We're about five minutes away."

"Jake, is he ok?" I said, nearly yelling in anxious excitement.

"He's in rough shape, Bells, but Carlisle will take care of him," he said.

"What do you-"

"I gotta go, Bells. We'll be there soon," he said hanging up.

I collapsed onto one of the chairs and wrapped my arms around myself, not able to control my shaking.

Alice heard them coming before I did. She flew to the door and threw it open just as Emmett hurried into the room with Edward in his arms.

Without even seeing his face, I knew that he was my Edward.

_Edward._

_Oh God._

_Edward._

I jumped to my feet but my legs suddenly couldn't support me. I felt lightheaded because I couldn't remember how to breathe. I started to fall to my knees but a pair of strong arms caught me before I hit the ground.

"Whoa, Bells. Take a deep breath." Jacob said soothingly as he supported me.

"Edward… I… I… I need… I need… I need him…I…" I babbled incoherently.

"Come on, Bells. I'll take you to him," Jacob said softly as he practically carried me to the bed.

Carlisle was already at Edward's side in a flurry of activity as he took his vitals.

Jacob crouched at the side of the bed supporting me as I hung onto the side of the bed and stared at my soul mate.

_Edward._

His name echoed in my head leaving no room for other thoughts. I reached out for him but before I touched his face I stopped. I was afraid that if my hand touched his skin, he would disappear and I would realize that this was all just a fantasy. So, I just drank in his beauty. His beautiful bronze hair even matted as it was, was still the hair that I loved. I started to reach out for him but again I was too afraid to touch him.

"Why is he unconscious, Carlisle?" I heard Rosalie say in a strained voice.

I looked around the room and saw that the whole family was surrounding the bed as well. Jasper had his arms wrapped tightly around Alice with his chin resting on her shoulder and Emmett had his arm around both Rosalie and Esme. All of them had varying degrees of anxiety written across their faces.

"I think it is the shock. His mind is trying to protect itself," Carlisle said not looking up as he continued to examine Edward.

I then started to notice the differences in him and my heart stuttered at what I saw. He looked starved and somehow fragile which seemed impossible considering that he was more than six feet. Carlisle rolled up Edward's sleeve in order to give him an injection but when his arm was revealed everyone gasped. There were tract marks that covered his exposed flesh. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought that Edward was a drug addict. His gaunt appearance paired with the needle marks on his arms made it hard to deny. However, as Carlisle continued his examination new scars showed themselves. There were bite marks on his shoulder and right forearm. They didn't have the silvery sheen like my scar from James, but they were definitely bite marks.

A sob escaped me.

After finishing a cursory examination, Carlisle returned to his arm and injected him with something.

"Is he ok, dear?" Esme whispered.

"Besides his broken right hand, his pulse is steady albeit fast and his reflexes are strong, so I don't think that there is anything of immediate concern. I have injected him with a sedative because I think that what he really needs is rest. He shouldn't be agitated and the best way to ensure this is to keep him asleep," he said, not taking his eyes off Edward.

"He freaked out when he saw us, Carlisle. He didn't recognize us and actually seemed terrified by us. He punched me in order to try to get away," Emmett said sadly.

"Well, I think that we have to assume that he doesn't remember us or what we are. However, he's ok for the time being."

He stepped away from the bed and looked at all of us.

"Now that he's safe, the priority is covering our tracks, which begins with switching his blood samples with others. Jasper, you'll need to come with me because your contacts can get us the replacement samples before we break into the lab."

Then, he looked at Esme.

"While I'm gone, keep him calm. The sedative will probably wear off before I return, so give him this sedative only if he becomes agitated. I don't want to pump his system full of drugs if it's not necessary," he said as he handed her a syringe.

She took his hand, pulling him towards her.

"Ok, dear. Be careful," Esme said kissing his cheek.

"I always am," he said with a gentle smile and left the room with Jasper following close behind.

We sat and stood around Edward's bed each of us lost in thought as we stared at this man in front of us.

The silence was broken by Jacob.

"His scent's different," he said quietly. "It's not the same as the rest of you blood-" he started but then rephrased. "His scent isn't vampire or human, but for some reason it seems familiar. I just can't place it."

No one responded. Everyone knew that this wasn't the same Edward that had left us in the clearing over three years ago.

I didn't respond either, not because of what he said but because I was too fixated on looking at every small change in him. There were dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't fed in a while but his skin didn't have the marble-like look anymore. I smiled in wonder at the bronze stubble that had begun to grow on his chin and I had the overwhelming urge to touch him but I forced myself to stay in my chair because I was afraid of disturbing him.

After several hours of silence and muted conversation, Edward started to stir. At first, his moans were barely audible, but then they started to become more frequent and more agitated.

"Should we give him the sedative? Carlisle said that he shouldn't become agitated," Rosalie said anxiously.

I looked up at her, surprised by the strain in her voice. Rosalie and Edward had never gotten along, especially when he chose to include me in his life. So, the depth of emotion in her voice was surprising.

"No, let's give him some time. Carlisle doesn't want to dope him too much," Esme said calmly.

However, Edward didn't calm down. He became increasingly upset and his moans were now accompanied by restless movements. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides and he seemed to flinch at some unseen danger.

I couldn't just sit and watch him suffering, so before I knew it I was crouched next to his bed reaching out to him.

I gently ran my hand through his sweat soaked hair, which had always soothed him in the past-and it seemed to work this time too. Encouraged by his response, I very gently ran the tips of my fingers along the bronze stubble that was sprouting along his jaw. I laughed softly in wonder at the feel of it prickling against my hand. Then I laid my palm against his cheek, gently cupping it.

I wasn't sure but it felt almost as if he leaned into my touch.

The warmth that poured off of him was startling. I wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around me and envelop myself in his warmth. My whole body trembled with the need to wrap my arms around him. I needed him. He was here in front of me yet still so far away.

I both laughed and sobbed softly as I gently stroked his face. His skin was so soft and warm.

Tears streamed down my face but I couldn't pull my hand away from him long enough to dry them.

I leaned my face close to his ear and whispered, "I love you."

I knew that there would be no reaction but I couldn't stop myself from wishing. I took a deep shaky breath trying to prevent all my emotions from welling out.

My arm started to tremble from the awkwardness of my position crouching on the floor, so I reluctantly pulled my hand away from his face and leaned forward against the bed to kneel.

Needing the contact, I picked up his uninjured hand. Palm to palm I held our joined hands to my lips.

"I've missed you. I have missed you so much. Please come back to me," I whispered against his warm skin.

However, his hand continued to be dead weight in mine. I sighed and looked around the room and realized for the first time that everyone else had left the room without me noticing.

I started to place his hand back down on the bed in order to change positions because I was starting to cramp up again.

However, when I tried to let go of his hand, I felt his clench mine.

I gasped.

_He squeezed my hand._

"Edward? Can you hear me? It's me, Bella," I said softly.

Again, there was no response.

"Its ok, Edward," I said, trembling with a flood of emotion. "I'm here. I promise that I won't ever leave you again."

I stood up and stretched without letting go of his hand and then knowing that I couldn't sit on the floor anymore I made the decision to gingerly climb onto the bed and lay down next to him. I was careful not to press myself against him even though I wanted to desperately, but I knew that he needed to rest and I was unsure whether my closeness would agitate or relax him. So, I lay my head on his pillow close enough that I could see every indrawn breath and gently laid our clasped hands on his chest.

Then, to fill the silence, I started to softly reminisce about our life together. I talked about how we met, when we fell in love, how he proposed to me. Then, I told him about my life since he disappeared. I told him how much I missed him and how much I loved him and dreamed about him every night. I even told him about Aidin. I told him that Aidin had filled some of the void that his disappearance had left, but that he could never have replaced him. He was the only person that I had ever or would ever truly love mind, body, and soul.

"Edward, are you really here?" I whispered, still not able to believe that he was real.

I didn't expect a response, but I sat up in alarm when his eyelids started to flutter and he moaned.

His eyes, then, fluttered open.

I gasped.

Instead of seeing the gold eyes that I had dreamed about, they were a brilliant green.

They were beautiful.


	9. Conversations on the Road

**CONVERSATIONS ON THE ROAD**

**BELLA**

I thought that my heart had stopped beating when his eyes locked onto mine. For a moment, we just stared at one another.

"Edward?" I whispered.

He didn't respond. He just continued to stare at me. I reached out to touch his face, wanting to see my Edward in his eyes. However, my touch brought no response.

"Esme? Alice?" I called out and suddenly the Cullens surrounded us.

"Edward?" Esme said sitting down on the edge of his bed, but he didn't meet her eyes. He just continued to stare at me.

"Oh, Edward, we've missed you so much," she said gently.

She began to reach out towards him, but then quickly pulled her hand away. I could tell that she wanted desperately to touch him, but was probably resisting because she knew that her cold skin would shock him.

"Don't worry, son. We'll take care of you. You're with your family," she said.

Again there was no response.

A chill went down my spine at his vacant expression.

_Was this all that was left of my Edward?_

"Edward, it's me Bella. Do you remember me?"

But again there was no sign that he was even hearing what I was saying.

"Alice, why isn't he saying anything?" I said desperately.

"He's probably still in shock, Bella. He needs time to recuperate."

It was at this moment that his stomach started to growl. It was such a shockingly human sound that it made me giggle nervously. I felt a wave of hysteria flow through me. It was as if I were totally losing control of myself, not able to predict the emotions that were flooding my system.

Esme looked at me quizzically before getting up to get him a nutritional supplement drink with a straw. She returned to the bed and put the straw between his lips. Carlisle had told us that what Edward needed the most was food and rest, but that his stomach may not be able to tolerate food. I watched in fascination as his adam's apple bobbed up and down with each swallow, his eyes never leaving mine.

The drink seemed to awaken him somewhat. His blank expression as he stared at me started to change slowly and become a look of concentration as if he were trying to figure me out. However, then his eyes broke away from mine and started to wander around the room. When his eyes reached the Cullens, his behavior changed from one of detachment to rising panic. This reached a fevered pitch when his eyes moved to Emmett. As his eyes focused on him, a look of fear twisted his features. He looked back at me and I reached out for him wanting to soothe him but he pulled away from me violently. He looked back at Emmett in horror and lurched to the side of the bed and threw up.

I touched his shoulder but he pulled away from me again before laying back on the bed and closing his eyes. He started to mumble to himself, which sounded a lot like the word "no" repeated over and over again.

"Shhh, Edward, it's ok. Please, it's ok," I said to him, but he would not open his eyes and eventually fell back into a restless sleep.

After he seemed to settle, I felt Alice put her arm around my shoulder, causing a sob to escape my lips.

_What do I do? How do I fix this?_

These were the kinds of thoughts that ran through my head. I wanted to say a magic word and have my Edward back but I was at a loss.

While he was sleeping, Carlisle and Jasper returned. Everything had gone smoothly. Jasper had contacts, obviously black market, which had provided blood sample replacements and documents which were switched with Edward's.

When we told Carlisle that Edward had woken up, he appeared surprised.

"That is an incredibly good sign. It means that his mind and body are resilient to the stress that they have been through."

"But when he woke up, he freaked out, Carlisle. He threw up half of the drink that we gave him when he saw all of us around his bed," I said, distressed.

I covered my face with my hands, not able to take it anymore.

"He doesn't recognize us," I sobbed.

"That's not unexpected, Bella," he said crouching in front of me as I sat in a chair across the room.

"When someone has gone through something traumatic, often the brain tries to protect itself by blocking out the experiences that caused the trauma but in the process other memories are sometimes buried. After time to heal, these memories can come back. We just need to give him time. He's been through a lot," he said soothingly putting his hand on my shoulder.

However, even Carlisle was shocked by Edward's reaction the next time he awoke. When his eyes opened, they looked even clearer than before and I felt hope swell inside of me. But the moment his eyes focused on Carlisle, a look of horror and then fury flashed across his face.

Carlisle moved towards him smiling soothingly, but Edward snarled out, "DEMON!" lunging towards him as if to attack, but before he could even get off the bed he gagged again and threw up the remainder of the food in his stomach.

Afraid that Edward would retreat within himself again, the Cullens left the room. When Edward shouted "demon," it was clear that he could sense the "unnaturalness" of the Cullens, causing him to panic. Therefore, they left Edward alone with Jacob and me.

Once they all left the room, a look of exhaustion crossed Edward's face and he closed his eyes, falling into a deeper sleep.

I moved quietly towards him and sat next to his bed watching his every breath for signs of distress, but I soon found myself nodding to sleep in my seat.

"Why don't you take a break, Bells. I can keep an eye on Edward. If he wakes up, I'll call you," I heard Jake say behind me as he gently nudged my shoulder.

"I don't know—"

"Go on. Go get some food and find out what the Cullens are planning."

I looked at Edward once more, but he seemed to be in a more restful sleep.

I stood up and stretched before turning to Jake.

"I'm so glad you're here, Jake," I said hugging him tightly.

He kissed the top of my head before sitting down in a chair across from Edward's bed with a magazine in his hand. I felt a smile cross my face for the first time in what felt like days when I saw that the magazine was Cosmo.

He looked up at me and said in a mock defensive tone, "Hey, don't judge! It was in the room already."

Outside of the bedroom, I found the Cullens deep in conversation.

"We need to get across the border before it closes. It's only a matter of time before they start taking this flu outbreak more seriously. So, we need to get Jacob, Bella, and Edward on the road right away, so we can get them to a safe location," Alice said decisively.

"We can take them to the house in Forks. It's still fully furnished," Esme suggested.

"I don't think taking them to the house is a good idea. We're well known in Forks, so people will talk if they see any of us and we can't afford that. Soon, the police are going to start looking for Edward and Jacob. They have images of Jacob on the security cameras and they already have photos of Edward," Jasper said.

Carlisle then spoke.

"Esme and I won't be travelling with you. We're going to take Edward's blood samples to a lab that I have access to. I need to start analyzing it and hopefully find out what has caused his change. I'm hoping that I may also be able to discover some kind of treatment for this virus since it seems to have started with Edward," he said looking around the room.

"What if there's a problem with Edward?" Emmett said concerned.

"You'll be able to take care of most things. Just remember that what he needs is to recuperate and that means you need to keep him calm and fed. His body seems healthy enough. It's his mind that needs to heal. We can't push him... Any other problem that comes up you can call me. I have confidence in all of you," he said with a smile.

Alice looked away from Carlisle and focused her attention on me.

"How is he?" she said with a gentle smile.

"He's resting. Jake's watching him."

She nodded, satisfied.

"We can't leave in the daylight but there is no time to wait. Bella, you and Jacob need to get on the road with Edward as soon as we can get a vehicle and he's able to be moved," Jasper said, looking at me seriously.

"You can cross into the States by the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles. From there, we can meet you at the Olympic Lodge and then make plans. The most important thing that needs to be done is to get him out of Canada. If you leave today, you shouldn't have any trouble at the border," Alice said.

"We need to buy them a car," Emmett said with a grin.

"Nothing too showy, Emmet. I think some kind of RV would be appropriate," Carlisle said thoughtfully.

When Edward woke up the next time, his eyes were clearer but he still wasn't speaking.

I took his hand and looked into his eyes.

"Edward, it's me, Bella. Do you remember me?"

He didn't respond but his hand held mine firmly.

We sat quietly locked in each others' gaze. I reached up tentatively and traced his cheek with the back of my hand. I was nervous about his reaction, but I couldn't _not_ touch him. I had been without him for three years and regardless of my nerves I couldn't stay away from him.

His eyes seemed to soften at my touch and his hand seemed to clench mine slightly, which caused my heart to flutter. However, the moment was broken too quickly by a soft knock at the door. I had a momentary irrational flare of anger at our moment being interrupted, but after sighing in frustration I let go of his hand and walked to the door.

Alice hugged me excitedly when I opened it. "He's responding to you. That's great! We need to keep a low profile, though. Edward feels uncomfortable around us," she whispered, her smile disappearing.

I nodded.

"Don't worry, Bella. He may not have responded to you verbally but he is reacting. This is all good. You need to get on the road, though. Jacob and Emmett are getting the RV ready."

I grabbed Alice's hand.

"Are you getting any visions of him yet? Is he going to be ok?"

"My visions are confusing. One minute I see Edward talking and smiling with us, but the next minute my visions are blank," she said with a frown, but then a sweet smile appeared on her face.

"It doesn't matter. He's with his family again."

When I told Edward that we had to leave, he didn't react, but also didn't resist when Jake helped him to his feet and half carried him to the RV.

Before we left, as Jake got Edward settled on the pull-out bed in the back of the RV, Alice pulled me to her in a hug and whispered in my ear, "Keep him safe. We couldn't survive losing him again."

I nodded, a lump in my throat.

Crossing the border was shockingly easy. Jasper had gotten passports for all of us under pseudonyms, but the border guards, beyond taking a cursory look at them and asking some basic questions about our destination, did not hing but wave us through It seemed much too easy, and as we pulled away from the border, both Jake and I continued to stare nervously in the rearview mirror. However, after a few miles we started to let our guard down.

In order to let Edward sleep, I stayed in the front with Jake talking quietly. I hadn't fully realized how much my anger towards Jake had cost me until that moment. It felt so good to talk to my best friend again and it was as if I could feel a part of me mending that I hadn't known was broken.

"I'm sorry it's been so long, Jake," I said softly.

"I know, me too," he said and smiled sadly.

There was so much unsaid in those few words but it was just too painful to delve into.

"Tell me about university. You're at the University of Florida right? I think that's where Charlie told me that you were going," he said, distracting both of us from our dark thoughts.

I told him about my university classes and my two best friends Aidin and Sarah. When I mentioned Aidin, Jake's eyes met mine but he didn't say anything, for which I was glad. Jake knew me well enough to know that there was more between Aidin and me than I was saying.

I pushed my thoughts of Aidin out of my head, though, because they were too confusing to deal with at the moment.

"So, tell me what's been happening in exciting Forks in the last three years," I said with a grin.

Rather than seeing an answering grin on Jake's face a look of pain crossed it.

"What?" I said sitting up straighter.

"It's nothing that we need to talk about," he said looking out the window.

"What's nothing? Jake, what happened?"

He looked straight ahead, but I could still see the lines of pain on his face.

"Rachel was killed," he said in a dead voice.

I gasped.

"When? What happened, Jake?"

"Victoria…" is all that he had to say before I understood everything. Victoria had returned to Forks to kill me, but when she didn't find me she tried to kill those close to me or to my friends.

My eyes welled up with tears.

"Jake, I'm so sorry. Charlie didn't tell me," I said.

"I asked him not to. You didn't need more death in your life. You needed to move on. It was the least I could do for you," he said not meeting my eyes.

"But it was my fault. Charlie should have-"

"Bella, no. Victoria is an evil bloodsucking thing. She's responsible, not you."

I sat silently looking out the window when a thought struck me.

"Oh my God, Paul..."

Paul had imprinted on Rachel years ago. Once a werewolf imprinted they were mated for life.

"He left shortly after Rachel was killed. He's broken from the pack."

"Why? Why would he leave you all?" I said confused. The pack seemed inseparable. I couldn't imagine any of them leaving if they had a choice.

"Paul went crazy after Rachel's death. He became totally consumed with hunting for Victoria but never found her. He never gave up though and continued to hunt and kill any vampire he could find. He would often go way outside our territory for days at a time. That was when he ran into a werewolf named Oscar. Oscar's not like us. He's a real werewolf not a shape shifter."

He looked at me with a ghost of a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah, it was a surprise to me, too. I always thought that we were werewolves, but I learned after meeting Oscar that we're really shape shifters. We're only wolves because our ancestors chose the form of the wolf to protect the tribe, but we could have easily been any other animal."

His smile disappeared as he continued to tell me his story.

"Real werewolves, like Oscar, are just as strong as we are but they can only change during the full moon. The elders say that throughout the decades they have met several of their kind and all of them have been insane in one way or the other. The theory is that they start to lose their mind because their change is excruciating but uncontrollable. So, even if they wanted to stop, they can't. They have to do it over and over again every full moon. Oscar was definitely crazy. He was like a rabid animal whose only desire was to torture and kill. When he first moved to Forks and started to work at the hospital, Paul would often bring him to the reservation. He seemed nice enough at first, but then he started to describe his kills to us in great detail and we were all horrified by how much he enjoyed torturing other creatures. Vampires were his favorite because they're not easy to kill. He told us that he liked to keep them alive for long periods of time just so that he could draw out their suffering. He couldn't understand why we didn't feel the same way."

"Why would your tribe tolerate him? He sounds like a monster," I said, horrified.

"I think that Sam hoped that the 'hunting trips' that Paul and Oscar would go on would get rid of Paul's need for revenge. They would some times be gone for days around the full moon and when they came back we could hear in Paul's thoughts that they always killed at least one vampire. So, Sam thought that eventually Paul would have enough death and suffering," he said with a sigh.

I looked over at him and saw that his hands were squeezing the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were white.

He continued in a quieter voice and I had to lean towards him so that I could hear clearly.

"But one day, Paul went to Sam and said that we needed to go to Alaska to kill the Denali clan and the Cullens. Oscar had convinced him that they were responsible for bringing Victoria to our territory."

Guilt flowed through me again and I felt tears prick my eyes.

"Sam drew the line at this point and told Oscar that he was no longer welcome on our territory. When Sam commanded Paul to let go of his plan, Paul accepted surprisingly calmly but after a few days he disappeared and we haven't seen or heard from him since," Jacob finished bleakly.

"You haven't heard him?" I said knowing the implication.

"When Paul broke from the pack, we stopped hearing his thoughts. We've no idea where he is or if he's even still alive," Jacob said with anguish in his eyes.

"Jake, I'm so sorry."

"It isn't your fault, Bells. Please, let's stop talking about it," he said his voice hoarse.

While we talked about lighter things, I felt the exhaustion from the past few days catching up to me. I found my eyes fluttering closed, lulled by the tone of Jake's deep voice.

I must have fallen asleep because I suddenly felt myself being gently shaken awake.

"Wha...what?" I said confused.

"Bells, you fell asleep. Why don't you go lie down? You look like you're going to fall to pieces any minute."

"I don't want to leave you alone," I yawned.

"Go ahead, Bells. I'm good."

I made my way to the back of the RV and settled myself next to Edward on the cot.

The minute my head touched the pillow sleep took me.

I awoke sometime later when I felt an arm settle around me. With a sigh, I pulled it around me more tightly and held the hand to my heart. The sweet sound of my lullaby in my ear made me smile because I loved it when Edward snuck into my room to hum me to sleep. I sighed happily when he pulled my body against his more firmly and buried his face in my hair. I nestled myself more tightly into his embrace and kissed his hand, smiling in sleepy contentment. Edward then slid his nose up the column of my neck to place a soft kiss behind my ear. I gasped and pushed myself back against him as a current of electricity shot through my body.

I groaned at my mistake. I knew that this was crossing a line and that he would pull away as he always did. I clutched his hand harder willing him to stay and I was overjoyed when he didn't even try to put some distance between us. In fact, he pulled me back harder against him before very gently running his lips back down my neck until they rested against my pulse point. He left them there for a few moments before very gently sucking on the skin. I gasped in pleasure and arched into him again which caused him to growl deep in his throat making my heart stutter and speed up.

Happiness filled me.

I couldn't believe that Edward was being this free with me, trusting himself to not hurt me.

Needing to touch him, I reached up and let my hand graze along his cheek.

I gasped and bolted up in bed and felt him jerk away at the same time.

His cheek was rough not smooth and warm, very warm.

Now, completely awake, I was able to process what my sleep-addled brain hadn't been registering.

I stared down in amazement at the man lying next to me. For a moment, it seemed as if there was a a flicker of recognition in his eyes and my heart soared.

But then his eyes widened and he gasped three words that shattered me.

"Who are you?"

**THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DECLARES SPANISH INFLUENZA PANDEMIC.**

**CBC NEWS- Last updated: Thursday, June 20, 2009 6:42 PM **

The virulent flu now dubbed the new Spanish influenza has reached a pandemic level, the World Health Organization declared Wednesday. It is the first time that a pandemic has been declared in almost 50 years.

"The virus is spreading at an alarming rate at this time. However, we do expect to have a vaccine developed soon, so people have to continue to take every precaution for the time being to avoid contracting the virus such as avoiding crowded conditions and using hand sanitizer," WHO's director Martha Brannigan announced at a news conference yesterday.

This new Spanish influenza started in North America, but cases have been increasing in many countries, such as the United Kingdom, Japan, and even Australia because of air travel which up until today has been running the same as usual.

The transmission of this virus from person to person across borders has now met the WHO's criteria for a pandemic. This means that governments must suspend all air travel and border crossing starting tomorrow.

However, many believe that these plans announced by the WHO are too little too late. The WHO has come under fire by many government agencies for its delayed reaction to the threat of the illness, which has led to the rampant spread of the disease.

In a news article on June 18 2009, a WHO spokesperson said that it did not think that pandemic plans which include travel bans, school closures and quarantines were necessary.

A flu expert working for the organization stated that the seasonal flu kills more each year worldwide than this new influenza virus. At that time, there were only 15,000 cases worldwide and a little over a 1,000 deaths while the seasonal flu kills about 200,000 each year.

This same expert was also reported as saying, "People are overreacting. We're not looking at Armageddon."

However, it now has become clear that this strain of the Spanish Influenza virus is unlike any seen before because its deadliness. Health agencies have been working on developing a vaccine but as of yet none have been successful.

Therefore, many believe that the WHO's delayed reaction has cost countries the opportunity to contain the virus which is now spreading from community to community, country to country leaving thousands of victims in its wake and scientists now believe that it will only get worse.


	10. Awake

**AWAKE**

**EDWARD**

"…unconscious…shock…"

"…scent's different…"

"…give him some time…"

"…I love you…please come back… "

"…won't ever leave…"

"…are you really here?"

From the barrage of voices that filled my head, this last question came through clearly.

_Am I really here?_

I opened my eyes carefully and was greeted by a pair of chocolate brown eyes looking down at me with excitement and hope.

"Edward?"

_She knows me?_

I wanted to say something, but I couldn`t seem to find the words.

"Esme? Alice?" the woman said, looking behind her.

I felt the bed dip down as someone else sat next to me, but I couldn`t tear my eyes away from the woman in front of me. I felt like I should know her.

"Oh Edward, we've missed you so much. Don't worry, son. We'll take care of you. You're with your family," another female voice said.

The voice didn`t sound like my mother's so I refused to look at her. I knew that she was just another part of the nightmare that my jumbled brain had created- a world in which demons existed.

I focused all of my attention on the woman in front of me, thinking that if I could just figure out who she was then I could snap myself back to reality.

"Edward, it's me Bella. Do you remember me?"

Anxiety filled me.

_I don't remember. What's wrong with me?_

"Alice, why isn't he saying anything?"

"He's probably still in shock, Bella. He needs time to recuperate."

_Recuperate from what?_

I tried to think of the answer, but my mind was blank.

I was startled out of my thoughts a few moments later when the woman in front of me giggled.

_What a beautiful sound… _

I focused my attention on her again.

_Who is she?_

I felt a straw between my lips, so I began to drink. The taste of the sweet liquid on my tongue seemed to help me think more clearly.

But with clarity, my memories of the hospital resurfaced.

Panic started to build inside of me.

I pulled my attention away from the woman in front of me to get a look at my surroundings.

Horror struck me as I saw the golden eyed demons surrounding me.

_No, no, no, no, no, no…_

"Shhh, Edward…"

* * *

When I surfaced to consciousness again, I felt uneasy. I hoped with every fiber of my being that when I opened my eyes I would be back with my parents. I didn't care that it would mean that I was dying in the ward where my parents had breathed their last breaths. Death would be better than this nightmare. However, when I opened my eyes, the nightmare was even worse than I had imagined.

_Dr. Cullen and his minions are all around me. _

"DEMON!"

_HE ISN'T REAL. _

_HE ISN'T REAL._

_HE ISN'T REAL._

My hold on consciousness shattered.

* * *

When I woke again, my mind was empty of all thoughts except for pain. It hurt to think, so I tried instead to focus on one sense at a time.

At first, I thought that I was on a boat because of the gentle rocking motion that was pushing my body back and forth, up and down. However, the vibrations that I began to notice as my senses became sharper told me that I was in a vehicle.

_Am I in a car?_

It didn`t quite feel like a car, but I was unsure what else it could be.

I kept my eyes closed, not really wanting to wake up. The fragments of memories that I recalled were just too disturbing, but when I heard whispered voices I couldn`t stop myself from concentrating on them.

"Tell me about university. You're at the University of Florida, right? I think that's where Charlie told me that you were going," a man`s voice said.

When a female voice spoke, I felt a jolt of electricityshoot through me, but as fast as it occurred it was gone, leaving me gasping.

I tried to focus on recreating the sensation, hoping that it would help me to understand what was going on, but it was gone.

Then a name tore me from my thoughts.

"…Oscar was definitely crazy. He was like a rabid animal whose only desire was to torture and kill... "

I felt my heart start to hammer in my chest as the name conjured up a memory of pain.

"_**I'll bite her, Edward. It would be so easy."**_

"_**What do you want?"**_

"_**Your absolute surrender." **_

"_**I'll do anything."**_

"_**We'll see…"**_

_NO, NO, NO, NO, _

_IT WASN'T REAL. _

_HE ISN`T REAL_

_THIS ISN'T REAL. _

_NOT REAL. NOT REAL. NOT REAL._

_

* * *

_

A wave of desire stirred me to semi-consciousness.

The variety of sensations that woke me, set every nerve in my body tingling. A steady beat pulsed through me, causing me to hum in contentment to its rhythm. It was such a soothing sound and I couldn't help pulling her body closer to me, so that I could be closer to the rhythm of her heart.

I inhaled deeply filling my nose with her intoxicating smell, drinking it in by burying my nose in her hair. I heard a sigh as her warm body pressed against me and a pair of soft lips kissed my hand.

Desire tore through me and I couldn`t resist pulling her harder against my body. A shudder went through her and I could feel her breathing speed up. Her smell overwhelmed me again. It was so enticing that I buried my face in the crook of her neck and slid my nose up its silkiness, pulling her scent deep into my lungs. When I reached the delicate skin behind her ear, I couldn't resist kissing her gently.

When she pushed back against me and groaned, I clutched her to me harder not wanting to lose the contact. A fire started deep inside and spread to every part of my body. I moved my lips back down her neck to rest on the steady pulse that seemed to both relax and stir me. I couldn't resist gently sucking her skin between my lips- tasting her.

As my lips touched her skin, she pushed back against me again.

An involuntary growl tore from my throat startling me, bringing me almost completely awake. Then, I snapped fully awake when a hand drifted along my jaw, causing a wave of desire to hit me with more force.

I tensed in confusion at the same time as I felt her yank away from me.

My eyes flew open.

My whole body was still vibrating with my need to grab her and press her to me. However, with my mind clearing, my want turned to discomfort.

"Who are you?" I said in confusion.

I was surprised to see her flinch at my words.

I pulled away from her and saw that we were lying in bed together.

My breath caught in my throat.

I looked down at myself quickly and sighed with relief to see that we were both clothed.

I flushed in embarrassment at my predicament.

_Have I been drinking?_

Drinking was not something I usually did. When my friend Arthur and I would go out, I would mostly sit back and watch him drink himself into oblivion. He told me that he did it because he enjoyed the feeling of freedom it gave him, but I responded by saying that his freedom looked a lot like insanity.

"_Come on Edward, loosen up. Don't you ever get sick of being this repressed? A little liquor would do wonders for you_,"I remembered him saying and how he laughed at the glare I directed at him.

However, the first time and only time he spiked my drink ended badly.

_I woke up in a strange bed with a massive headache. When I groaned at the pain, I heard the squeaking of a chair and then a booming voice above my head._

"_How are you feeling?" _

_I flinched and then opened my eyes cautiously, squinting up at Arthur's face._

"_What happened?" I groaned._

"_You don't remember?" he said with a chuckle._

_I reached into my memory, trying to remember how I got here. _

_I remembered sitting in the pub with Arthur, watching him try to dazzle a group of ladies. Then, I had a hazy memory of trying to climb the fence surrounding the army barracks at Municipal pier, yelling "SIGN ME UP!" _

"_What did you do to me?" I growled and then cringed at the pain._

"_I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't know that inside that repressed body was the soul of a wild man," he said with a chuckle. _

I pulled my eyes away from the woman sitting next to me and glared around the room, looking for Arthur.

_Where is the son of a bitch? How could he do this to me again?_

When I didn't find Arthur smirking in a corner, my anger whipped towards the woman next to me.

"Where is he?" I snapped at her.

"Who?" she said timidly, shrinking away from me.

"Arthur. Where is he?"

She didn't respond. She just stared at me with a look of shock.

I stared at her suspiciously.

She seemed familiar, which only served to reinforce the feeling that she was a part of this.

"Where am I?" I growled.

"I... you… " she stuttered.

When she couldn't respond, I looked away from her and gazed at my surroundings. I tried to get my bearings, but nothing was familiar. I was in some kind of vehicle, but nothing like I had been in before. It was like a house on wheels.

A wave of nausea hit me as a confusing jumble of thoughts slammed into me. They were like hundreds of puzzle pieces that didn't fit together.

I pinched the bridge of my nose hard trying to slow down my thoughts as image after image assaulted me.

_My mother's face drawn and haggard, Dr. Cullen's eyes staring at me sympathetically, a pack of growling feral dogs surrounding me, a dark haired man with cold blue eyes smiling maniacally, a crumpled body at my feet..._

And interspersed with these random images was this woman's face over and over again.

"Edward?" she said softly.

I snapped my eyes open and glared at her.

She cringed away from me and half-fell half-climbed off of the bed.

"What have you done to me?" I snarled.

She didn't say anything. She just stared at me with wide frightened eyes.

"What's going on?" I heard a man's voice say from the front of the vehicle.

Neither one of us said anything.

"Bella? What's going on?" the man said again, more urgently.

I felt the vehicle slow down and pull off the road.

I moved off the bed and leaned against the wall opposite from the woman.

Once the vehicle stopped, a man darkened the entrance to the room. He was a very large man with long black hair and tan skin. I recognized him from the hospital.

Fear flooded me, causing me to cringe away from him. However, then my anger returned stronger than ever. I hated feeling like a coward, but I couldn't deny the fear inside of me at the situation I found myself in.

The man walked past me and over to the woman that he called Bella, touching her shoulder gently.

"What's wrong?" he said, looking down at her.

She just shook her head, looking at the floor.

Then, he turned his attention towards me.

"Edward, how are you, man?" he said calmly, but I could see tension in the lines of his body.

He made a move as if to approach, but I raised my hands in front of me, warding him off.

"Stay away from me! Who are you people? Where am I?" I yelled at them.

"Edward, it's ok. You're safe," he said to me in a soothing voice.

_Safe...that seems highly unlikely._

"It's ok. We're friends. My name is Jacob Black and this is Bella Swan. Do you remember anything about us?"

I shook my head, feeling a headache start to form behind my eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose as hard as I could, hoping that when I opened my eyes that everything would make sense.

"Why don't we all sit down? You look like you're about to collapse."

I opened my eyes and stared suspiciously at him, but he smiled reassuringly back, while ushering Bella to a chair at a small table.

"I need to know what's going on," I said, not moving.

"I know, man. Just sit down and we'll try to figure things out," he said, motioning towards the table.

I reluctantly walked to the table and sat down in one of the chairs on the opposite side from them.

We sat quietly for a few moments before Jacob broke the silence.

"You must be starved. We brought some food with us," he said passing a bag to me.

I opened it hesitantly, but was relieved to find that it was just bread and cheese. This little bit of familiarity allowed me a moment respite as I slowly ate. Jacob took the remainder of the bread and cheese and handed it to Bella before getting up to retrieve mugs from a cupboard. He, then, put a kettle of water on the stove and busied himself in the kitchen while Bella and I slowly ate.

Bella never looked up once. Her hair hung like a curtain around her face shielding her eyes from me.

I wanted her to look up, so that I could try to figure out what she was thinking. I knew that she was the key to me understanding what was going on.

_Is she blocking her face from me on purpose? _

A sudden fierce unreasoning hatred washed through me. She seemed to be the fixture of this confusing world that I had been thrust into. It felt like she was the one that was prying me away from my former life. So, I hated her with all the fervor that I could muster. My hatred kept me from letting go of my former self and accepting what I saw around me as real.

If I rejected her, I rejected this reality.

Jacob's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"What's the last thing that you remember?" he said, not looking up as he put tea bags in each mug and waited for the water to boil.

I didn't know where to begin or even if I wanted to divulge anything to these two strangers. I didn't know whether communicating with them would help me figure out a way to escape this nightmare or pull me in deeper.

So, I chose to say nothing.

We sat in silence for a few moments. The only sound besides our breathing was the kettle whistling as Jacob removed it to pour boiling water into the mugs laid out in front of him.

I looked across the table at Bella again, but she continued to stare at the table.

As I watched her, however, I was shocked to see a tear trickle down her cheek.

I felt guilt and fury fill me at the same time. Again, it felt as if she were tugging on me, trying to pull me away from my reality and into her own.

"Stop stalling! You both act as if we know each other. How do you know me?" I said in frustration.

Jacob turned off the stove and brought the three mugs to the table and set one in front of me.

"Edward, I know that you're confused right now and you have every right to be. You've been through a lot. But, Bella and I do know you. We've known you since high school. You and Bella went to Forks high school together," Jacob said before picking up his mug and drinking.

I looked at Bella again, wanting her to say something.

"How do you know me?" I said, willing her to look up.

Her eyes flickered up to mine, but then looked down again.

"We were in the same class," she said in a quiet voice.

"Why can't I remember you?" I said, accusingly.

"I don't know," she said, meeting my eyes and holding them.

The agony in her eyes was confusing.

I knew that her pain was just another trick to make me accept this nightmare, but I couldn't help feeling guilty.

I inhaled deeply in frustration and launched myself up out of my seat, not able to maintain eye contact.

I walked over to a window and pulled open the curtain, hoping to see something familiar on the other side.

But there was nothing but trees.

"How did I get here?" I said, tiredly.

"We came to get you when we found out you were in Vancouver," she said.

"If we're friends, why is it that you didn't know where I was?" I said, thinking that I had caught her in a lie.

My anger towards her flared back to life.

_I have to be vigilant. She's dangerous. _

My eyes turned back to hers, but she quickly looked down at the table and didn't look up again.

Jacob responded instead.

"You disappeared three years ago, and we've been looking for you ever since. Then, a few weeks ago, we got news that you were in a hospital, so we came to get you," he said gently.

"What do you mean I disappeared? This is crazy! What the hell are you talking about?"

I closed my eyes in exhaustion.

"I don't understand. The last real thing that I remember is being on my death bed in the hospital ward with my parents," I blurted out.

I tensed. I hadn't meant to tell them anything, but my frustration had gotten the better of me.

I heard a gasp and I opened my eyes. Both Bella and Jacob were looking at me with stunned expressions.

"What?" I said, but Bella shook her head, saying nothing.

"Edward, once we're safe, we'll have the time to try to figure all this out," Jacob said soothingly, but there was a look of concern in his eyes that he couldn't quite hide.

At the word "safe," I suddenly remembered the demons pulling me out of the hospital and fear hit me.

"Where are they?" I gasped.

"What-"

"The demons! Where are they? They were everywhere!" I said, locking eyes with Bella.

"Edward, there aren't any demons," she said in a worried tone as she stood up and started to walk towards me.

"Stay away from me!" I said backing away.

"I can't stay here. Let me out. I have to leave," I moaned and lurched towards the door of the vehicle.

I heard Bella's voice behind me.

"No, Edward. Please, don't go!"

I tried to ignore the intense pain in her voice.

I stumbled out of the vehicle and onto the side of a dirt road, striding a few steps away before coming to a stop as I looked at my surroundings. We were parked on the side of a road in the middle of nowhere- surrounded only by trees.

_Where am I going to go? I have no idea where I am…_

I inhaled deeply and tilted my face up to the sky, closing my eyes.

I let the cool clean air wash over my body and tried to let go of the fear that was strangling me.

_I'm a rational, thinking creature. I can control myself. _

Arthur mocked me for it, but I always prided myself on my ability to control my impulses. Now, I was letting fear get the better of me.

I clenched my jaw.

I had to stay rational if I had any chance of figuring out what was wrong with me.

I heard steps approach me from behind.

I took one last deep breath and opened my eyes before turning towards the source of the footsteps.

"So… where are we going?"


	11. Strength

**A/N **I hope that you are enjoying my story and that things are coming together for you. My story is a mystery that comes together as the stories progress. Drop me a review and tell me what you think!

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* * *

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**CHARLIE**

The diner was pretty full. It was the supper rush and Billy and I were there for our weekly meal of steak and potatoes. As we were ordering, I noticed that everyone else was focused on the television.

On the screen, what looked like several army platoons were shown running down a rather desolate road and setting up barriers.

"That in Afghanistan?" I asked the waitress.

"No. It's Vancouver, I think."

I froze in the middle of handing her my menu. "What?"

"Something about the influenza outbreak. It seems a lot more serious than the flu, though," the waitress said.

I watched the news broadcast more carefully.

I had read lots of stories in the newspaper about the flu outbreak. It was widespread, but I had no idea that it was this serious. Looking at the military barricades on the TV made my heart squeeze tightly in my chest.

_Bella's in Vancouver…_

It had been a few weeks since I'd been able to get in contact with Bella, and I'd started to worry. Her cell phone was turned off, which concerned me. While it wasn't unusual for Bella to miss returning my calls, she rarely turned her phone off. I became even more alarmed when Aidin called and told me that Bella had taken off in the middle of the week, leaving nothing but a note, which said that she had to go to Vancouver for a few days and would call soon.

After speaking with Aidin, I immediately called Renee, but she didn't know why Bella had gone to Vancouver so suddenly either.

Bella had become a different person after Edward's death. Since moving to Florida, Bella had distanced herself from both Renee and me. At first, I believed that she just wanted to be alone with her grief. Edward had been the love of her life, and I'd half-expected before his disappearance that any day the two of them would show up at the house to either tell me that she was pregnant or that they'd gotten married. So I wasn't surprised when she shut down after finally accepting that he was gone. I was patient at first but became increasingly worried when she didn't show any signs of improvement. Finally, I sent her to Florida out of desperation. I knew that she hated me for making that decision, but it had been for her own good.

When Bella met Aidin, I'd thought that my decision had been the right one. However, I soon realized that even with Aidin in her life, Bella was not the same person. We talked more often but she was still distant and would shut down immediately when I asked her anything personal.

A hand on my sleeve returned my thoughts abruptly to the present.

"Hey, are you ok?" Billy said, a concerned expression on his face.

I started to nod my head, but then the image on the TV changed to crowded emergency rooms with people wearing filter masks.

Standing up, I hauled out my cell phone to call the office and arrange for someone to cover my shifts. I had to get to Vancouver.

"Where are you going?" Billy asked, looking confused.

"I have to-" The words caught in my throat as a new image filled the screen A familiar face stared out at me, accompanied by a hotline number printed at the bottom of the screen. I stared in stunned silence until I felt Billy's hand grip my arm.

"Hey! Isn't that-" he started, but I cut him off.

"It's Edward Cullen."

**

* * *

**

**BELLA**

It was only supper time, but the streets were already deserted as we drove through Port Angeles. Despite the unusually warm night, no one sat on their porches or shot hoops in their driveways. The wavering blue lights of televisions flashed against drawn curtains as families huddled indoors, afraid of the disease that was spreading from community to community. It felt as if the whole town was holding its breath, waiting for the flu to begin its attack.

Once we were past the city, we were once again surrounded by the vast forests of the Olympic Peninsula. I'd forgotten how green it was here. Ancient moss-covered trees lined the road, sheltering the lush ferns that reached up to almost touch their branches.

When I'd first moved back to Forks in high school, I hated everything about it, especially the rain. But now I found it soothing. When it would rain in Florida, I'd often go out and walk down the streets without a jacket, just soaking up the water that pelted down from the sky.

It wasn't raining now, but there was a fine mist in the air that condensed on the windows causing water to trickle down the glass. I used my index finger to trace the patterns that the droplets of water trailed behind them.

The mugginess inside the RV was horrible. Sweat trickled down my neck and between my shoulder blades, but I refused to move from my position, even though it would bring me closer to the air blowing in from the open window. My face was carefully averted in this position from the angry stranger across the room. I could feel his eyes trying to burn their way through the curtain of my hair, but I was well protected.

I pressed my forehead against the cool glass of the window pane and tried to go somewhere else in my mind.

I couldn't help thinking that my number really had been up all those years ago when Edward first saw me. I really had been fated to die, but I'd been given a brief opportunity to prove that I deserved a wonderful future. But by kissing Jake in the forest, I'd proved that I wasn't worthy.

I always knew that our relationship had been too good to be true. All I had been allowed to have was that brief period in which Edward was mine. I should have cherished him more. I should have held on tighter. I should have proven that I was deserving of the love of a man like Edward.

I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them as I continued to silently stare out of the RV window. I tried again to focus on the patterns of water droplets on the glass, hoping to ignore the ache in my chest that made me want to curl up and die.

* * *

We arrived at the Elwha Dam RV Park on the border of the Olympic National Park at around 5:00. Alice had warned us not to book ourselves into a hotel, as we had originally planned, because people were looking for us. She'd been evasive about the identity of the searchers, and that scared me. I knew that sooner or later, someone would come looking for Edward, the only survivor of the killer flu. Even though I expected it, the fear of losing him again still gripped me.

So, Edward and I stayed in the RV, while Jake took care of everything else- hooking up the RV to water and electricity, and then going for supplies.

Before leaving, Jake took me outside out of sight of the windows and grabbed me into a tight embrace.

"Bells, I'm so sorry" he whispered.

I grabbed onto his shoulders, balling my hands in his shirt and clutching him as if he could stop my world from falling apart.

"Oh… Jake..." was all that I could say.

It felt like Edward was really gone, leaving only an angry stranger in his place.

"You need to be strong Bella. He doesn't really hate you. He's just scared and confused. You need to be the strong one. If anyone can bring him back, it's you," he said softly.

I sniffed loudly, nodding my head.

_I am strong._

I made this my mantra as I walked back towards the RV to face the silence within.

Once we'd convinced Edward to get back into the RV, he'd been silent, watching everything going on around him with suspicion. He barely looked at Jake, instead focusing his suspicion solely on me. His piercing green eyes followed me constantly.

The Cullens would be arriving at around 6:00. I was nervous about the upcoming meeting, fearing Edward's reaction. He truly believed that they were demons, and I had no idea how to convince him otherwise.

When I entered the RV, my eyes immediately looked for him and I found him in my former place next to the window. He didn't react when I walked inside, beyond a slight tensing of his shoulders.

I stood uncertainly for a moment before recalling my mantra.

_I am strong._

"Edward," I started nervously, "we're going to be meeting up with your family, soon. Alice-"

"They are _not_ my family," he interrupted with a snarl, keeping his eyes fixed on the window. "I don't know who or what any of you are. But none of you are my family."

I shrank away from the hatred in his voice, but I forced myself to remain calm. I couldn't just crawl away like a weak little girl. I had to be strong.

I looked around at the room before letting my eyes wander to him, trying to think of what to say that would make him accept us.

I needed to get Edward to relax, at least a little. He was in no state now to meet the Cullens. Carlisle had told us to keep him calm, but I was failing miserably.

I let my eyes wander over to him again and was immediately mesmerized.

Even in the midst of this stressful situation, I couldn't help marveling at him. Even as a human, he was beautiful. I felt myself being drawn to him, which made it even more painful that he had such a hatred for me.

I had to stifle the urge to run and throw my arms around him and beg him to remember me. I lwanted to kiss his lips and burrow my hands into his soft hair. I loved his hair- its color and texture, and how he would groan when I wound my fingers tightly into it as we kissed.

Without warning, a memory assaulted me.

"_I'm so sorry, Bella," Jake said. I looked down into his open hand and saw a lock of singed bronze hair._

_"Oh, God… This can't be happening… this can't be happening… this can't be happening… Edward, please… no." _

An involuntary sob escaped me, and I staggered two steps before I managed to grab the edge of the counter, smashing a glass to the floor in my attempt to stay upright. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to will the memory out of my head.

"What's wrong?"

My eyes shot open.

Edward had stood up, his hand outstretched as if to catch me. But the minute my eyes met his, he snatched his hand back.

His eyes widened momentarily and he tried to retreat even farther away from me, knocking himself slightly off balance as the back of his knees struck his chair. When his eyes met mine again, any sign of concern was gone and the angry stranger had returned.

"I'm okay," I said, smiling weakly.

The memory of that day in the clearing still echoed in my head, making me feel sick to my stomach. I couldn't help letting my eyes drift back to his beautiful hair. It was at this moment that I noticed its matted appearance and remembered that he hadn't showered since being in the hospital.

_Maybe he would like a one. I always feel more human after a shower. _

I almost laughed at the irony of that statement.

_Feeling human…_

I shook my head, trying to clear it of the hysteria bubbling under the surface. "Would you like a shower?"

The glare dropped off his face, replaced by a look of incomprehension

"Oh…ah… I'll show you," I said, walking past him to the back of the RV and into the small cramped bathroom. I don't know why, but I suddenly felt very shy about showing him how to use the shower. It was just a shower, but when he realized what I was showing him, he turned bright red as well.

Edward always loved it when I blushed, and I could see now why he found it so endearing. The color staining his skin was one of the most attractive things I'd ever seen. I felt myself lean towards him unconsciously.

"No… no, thank you," he stammered, backing away from me.

I was surprised at his politeness, and hope sprang to life in my chest before I again met his eyes and saw that the hardness had returned, causing the brief feeling to die.

"Okay, I think that I will then," I said and turned away, desperate to escape his gaze.

Once I was in the sanctuary of the bathroom with the door closed, I turned the shower on so that Edward wouldn't be able to hear my sobs. I was so afraid that the Edward that I knew and loved was gone forever.

In happier days, I sometimes would imagine what it would be like if Edward were human. I dreamed of having a normal life with him, going to university together, sharing an apartment, and making a life together.

Now, my dream had turned into a nightmare.

When my sobs finally quieted, I stood for a moment staring at myself in the mirror before unbuttoning my shirt. However, the tears began to flow again as soon as my eyes latched on the necklace hanging around my neck.

When I saw my wedding ring for the first time many years ago, I'd reacted badly. Edward had been so excited to show it to me, and I'd hurt him with my reluctance. I cringed when he got down on one knee before me and slipped his mother's ring onto my finger as he proposed.

_Why had I been so against marrying him? _

My reasons seemed so childish now.

I clutched the ring suspended by the chain around my neck and squeezed my eyes shut against the pain of the memory.

After I'd really started to believe that Edward was dead, I shut down, cutting everyone I loved out of my life. I wouldn't answer Alice's phone calls, and I refused to see any of them when they'd come to visit. I'd been too immersed in my own grief and anger to let any of them in. I just locked myself in my bedroom and refused to come out. Charlie had defended my decision at first, turning Alice and even Esme away, insisting that I would see them when I was ready. He had a harder time with Jake. After Charlie refused to let him into the house, Jake stood outside my window, pleading with me to let him in. Eventually, the only thing that had forced him to leave was Charlie's threat to arrest him.

That is not to say that Charlie hadn't argued with me about hiding away in the house. He begged me every night to at least come out of my room and eat with him. But beyond grabbing a few bites to eat, I would immediately scurry back to my room. When he would try to stop me, I would lash out at him heartlessly. I knew that I was hurting and scaring him, but at the time I'd been too much of a mess to care.

During one of my brief absences from my bedroom, Alice had snuck in. When I returned after yet another argument with Charlie, I found a small box sitting on my bed with a note lying under it

_I reached for the paper with shaking hands. I didn't want to read it, but it felt like I was being propelled towards it against my will._

_Three lines were scrawled across the page in Alice's handwriting._

_**I know that he would have wanted you to keep this. **_

_**Remember, we all love you, Bella. **_

_**Call me when you can. **_

_**Alice**_

_I picked up the small box and for a moment clutched it to my chest, not opening it. I already knew what I would find—my wedding ring. _

_I dropped it on the bed and with a wail of anger and pain fell to the floor and sobbed. I heard Charlie's heavy feet clomping up the stairs and his fist pounding on the door, but I continued to cry with my face pressed into my comforter._

_A few months later, when I was packing for Florida, the ring box was one of the last things sitting in my room. I had left the box unopened on my desk since the day Alice gave it to me. _

_I sat down on the bed in my nearly empty room and looked at the box for a long time before going to one of the packing crates and getting out my jewelry box. I found a gold chain that I rarely wore and carefully slipped my wedding ring onto it. Then I fastened it around my neck, where I planned to keep it for the rest of my life. _

I pulled myself out of my memory, calling on my mantra again.

_I am strong. I need to be strong. _

I scrubbed my hands over my red and splotchy face before removing the remainder of my clothing and climbing into the shower. I turned up the heat on the faucet as high as I could stand it and just stood under the spray, letting it pound against my upturned face.

Eventually when the water started to cool, I climbed out reluctantly, not wanting to return to reality. I continued procrastinating by dressing slowly, finally taking a deep breath and opening the door.

Shock hit me like a tidal wave. The room looked like a cyclone had blown through. Things were pulled down off shelves and Jake's and my luggage had been torn open, clothing strewn everywhere. I lurched into the main room and looked for Edward, but to my dismay, he was gone.

I hurried towards the door of the RV but was pulled up short by what I saw lying on the table.

At first I thought it was just a crumpled piece of paper, until I saw a hint of hyacinth blue. I picked it up and unfolded it carefully and saw that it was a picture of the Cullens and me at the prom. Edward and I were in the middle; he stood behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist, a breathtaking smile plastered on his face. To our left were Alice and Jasper. Seconds before the photo was taken, Alice had leaped into Jasper's arms, pulling him off balance, so in the picture he had a slightly startled look on his face. To our right were Emmett and Rosalie, wrapped around each other in a way that really shouldn't have been allowed at a high school prom. We all looked so happy, but I couldn't help noticing how I stood out. Not only were they so much more beautiful than me, but their gold eyes shone brightly in their angelic faces.

I dropped the photo and ran for the door.

* * *

I looked around the main camping site, but couldn't find him.

My heart started pounding with fear.

_What if he's gone? What if I never find him again? _

These thoughts caused me to push myself to run even faster, scanning the more isolated camp sites.

But still nothing.

I ran back to the center of the campground and turned in a circle. I scanned the grounds again in the hope that I'd missed him in my panic, but all I saw was trees.

With every second that ticked by, I felt my breathing get shallower and shallower as panic overtook me. A sob escaped my lips, and I dug in the pocket of my jeans for my cell phone. I turned it on and dialed Alice's number. Just as I was about to hit "send," I saw a glint of the Elwha River through the trees, and a desperate hope filled me. I snapped the phone shut and rushed into the trees.

Bushes sprang into my face, but I pushed them aside. The thorns of blackberry creepers that surrounded the campsite clawed at my legs, tangling themselves around my feet so that I fell and skidded on my knees across their prickly surface. However, I barely felt them as I pulled myself back to my feet and looked for a path through the undergrowth.

The trees were thick, battling each other for a little space in the sun. I looked to my left and right, trying to find an easy route, but each way seemed just as impenetrable, so I simply forged ahead.

I hoped that Edward had gone down to the river's edge in order to be alone and had not continued into the Olympic National Park, where it would be impossible for me to find him on my own.

At first I didn't see him when I burst through the trees, but then my eyes picked out his bronze hair next to an old gnarled elm tree that leaned out crookedly over the water.

I gasped in relief and ran towards him, but once I got closer, I felt my breath catch in my throat and tears prick my eyes.

Edward was sitting hunched forward, his elbows braced on his knees as his hands clutched his head.

Uncertainty held me immobile until I saw his hands clench his hair in tight fists and instinct took over.

I hurried to his side and crouched down in front of him, careful not to touch him but close enough that I could feel his body shaking.

For a moment, I just stared at him. I wanted to see his face, but the hands that tangled painfully in his hair blocked him from my view.

"Edward?" I said softly.

At first, he didn't respond, but then he spoke.

"Who am I to you?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw the photo. Who am I to you?"

There were so many answers to this question, but when I opened my mouth to speak, nothing came out.

"Before… were we courting?" he asked, letting go of his hair and turning his face towards mine.

I stared at him blankly for a moment, not understanding what he meant by "courting."

Once I did, I gasped, which caused him to tense and pull farther away. Taking a deep breath and praying that I was not making a mistake, I reached up to pull my wedding ring out from under my shirt.

"We were engaged."

For a moment, he just stared at me as if he hadn't heard, but then I saw the color drain from his face as his eyes focused on his mother's wedding ring.

"No," he said flatly.

"Edward-"

"No. This isn't real," he said, starting to pull farther away from me.

"Edward, I know you don't remember, but we fell in love in high school and were planning on getting married the summer after graduation. You proposed to me only a few days before you disappeared," I said, desperate for him to understand.

He shook his head in denial and scrambled a few feet away from me, before clenching his hands in his hair again.

I didn't want to cause him more pain, but it was too hard to just watch and do nothing. Although he'd made it quite clear that he didn't want me touching him, there was no one else who could help him now. We were alone.

I reached up tentatively and pulled one of his hands free from his hair and held it in mine. With his hand away from his face, I was able to take in his expression. He looked at me with pain-filled eyes before clenching them shut.

I stroked the back of his hand, tracing patterns lightly on his skin, but he barely seemed to notice my presence.

"Edward…" I began, but before I could say anything more, he wrenched his hand away from mine and covered his ears, his body convulsing with shudders.

"I can't live like this. Nothing makes sense. Why is this happening?"

Fear overtook me as I watched Edward's agitation increase, causing him to start to rock back and forth.

I started to sob at my helplessness as I watched him become more and more upset.

I had only made things worse by telling him about us. I'd selfishly pushed him too hard in my desire to make him remember me.

_Why didn't I give him time? Why did I have to push him?_

I berated myself for my weakness and wished for Alice, so that she could help me fix the damage I had so selfishly caused.

But then reality hit me. Alice wasn't here. I was _it_.

If I didn't do something, I was going to lose him forever. He was coming apart in front of me and I was just sitting there _letting_ him.

At this realization, I forced the weak Bella to the back of my mind and reached inside myself for every ounce of stubbornness I possessed.

I reached up again and pulled his hands away from his ears, lacing my fingers with his.

"Edward… Everything will be okay," I said as soothingly as possible.

"No... No, it won't. Nothing will be okay," he said in a voice full of pain.

"Yes, it will," I said with conviction.

"This isn't real. You aren't real," he said to me, opening his eyes for a moment to stare feverishly into mine.

But before I could respond, he closed them again.

"Maybe you have amnesia," I said, trying to find an explanation that he could accept.

He laughed bitterly.

"I know who I am, Bella. I remember my family, my friends, my life. It's this," he said, gesturing around us before returning his eyes to my face. "It's _you_ that I don't remember." He paused and took a deep breath before asking,

"Am I dead? Is this hell?"

"No! This isn't hell. What would make you think-"

He interrupted me before I could continue.

"You're bleeding…" he said, flatly.

His abrupt change in conversation took me off guard and it took me a minute to understand what he was talking about.

I looked down at my knees, which were covered in small cuts from the thorns of the blackberry bushes, and the gash on my left shin. A few drops of blood were still trickling down my legs.

"I'm okay," I said with a soft smile.

His eyes held mine again for a moment, and it almost seemed as if I could see my Edward in his eyes- but then he was gone.

"No… This is wrong… Why do I look like them in that picture?" he moaned, pulling away from me.

"Who? Look like who?" I asked, confused again by his erratic change in conversation.

"The demons. I look like them in your photo. Why do I look like them? Am I a demon now, too? I must be. I must be one of them. I must be dead. I must be in hell…" he said, beginning to ramble.

Desperate to calm him, I let go of his hand, only to wrap my arms around him. He tried to pull away from me at first, but I held on tight, frantically searching my mind for anything calming. Then it hit me.

I started to hum my lullaby, at first tentatively, but then with more confidence. I hummed it over and over again as we sat huddled together on the edge of the river.

Edward didn't seem to notice immediately, but I began to feel a gradual lessening of the tension in his body. His shivering continued, but I knew that he was listening to me.

After what felt like hours, Edward pulled himself out of my arms and looked at me. It was not a look of anger or even fear, but one that I couldn't quite decipher.

"Bella?" Jacob's voice yelled from beyond the trees, breaking the silence.

Edward jerked away from me and bolted.


	12. Healing

**HEALING**

**JACOB**

"Where are they?" Emmett asked anxiously.

"I'm not sure. I told them that they had to stay inside the RV but when I left it was pretty tense in there and now it's trashed," I said, looking around the campground worriedly.

"They went that way," Jasper said, pointing into the trees.

I walked to the edge of the trees and yelled. "Bella?" But there was no answer.

"I'll go get them," Alice said. Before I could say anything, she disappeared.

A shiver went down my spine. I felt more comfortable around the Cullens than I had in the past, but when they did "bloodsucker things" like that, my werewolf instincts kicked in.

I inhaled deeply and turned toward Jasper. "So, what now?"

"We need to change plans. Alice has had a vision that Charlie's looking for us. He's seen a notice on the TV looking for anyone with information about Edward and he's contacted the authorities. Alice's vision showed that investigators from the Centers for Disease Control will be arriving in Forks within a day and that we'll be caught if we stay here. So we're going to have to take more drastic measures to hide until we get things sorted out. We can't leave the area because road blocks are being set up to intercept flu sufferers, so I think our best option is the park. With the right camping gear, we can stay there for an extended period of time, especially with this warm weather. No one would think to look for us that deep in the wilderness."

"I know of a small lake deep in the forest that would be a good place to set up camp. It'll be hard to get there with Edward and Bella, though," I said, thoughtfully.

"We're going to have to ditch the RV. I've gotten us two range rovers but that'll only get us part of the way. Edward's barely holding it together. So, I doubt that he could handle one of us carrying him at super speed through the woods," Emmett said, with a frown.

"I have an idea. I don't like it, but I think it's the only option. Do we have any more of that sedative that Carlisle left?" Jasper said, turning to look at me.

**

* * *

**

**EDWARD**

"_Edward, are you listening to me?" she said in exasperation._

_I looked up at my mother with what I knew was a blank look on my face. _

_She shook her head. _

"_Edward, your father and I just want you to find a direction. You need to start thinking about your future. You have a wonderful life ahead of you without becoming a soldier. With your marks in school, you can do whatever you want. You could become a doctor or go to work with your father. You could even make me a grandmother," she said with a crooked smile._

_I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. _

"_Okay, fine. Let's get this over with," I growled._

_Mother happily patted my shoulder. "I knew that you'd see it my way," she said with a soft laugh._

_I scowled at her but hunched my shoulders and walked into the dining room preparing myself to be assailed by the predatory eyes of the latest dinner guests._

_My mother called me a "great catch" and I felt that way. Like a fish trapped in a bowl._

_"Oh Edward, there you are. We were wondering whether you were ever going to arrive," my father said jovially, but I heard the undertone of disapproval which made me hunch my shoulders even more. He could be an imposing figure when he wanted to be._

_These dinners were little more than "parade the eligible young ladies of the neighborhood in front of Edward" parties._

_They were humiliating. _

_I knew that my parents were only doing it because they wanted to distract me from the war. I heard them talking one night when they thought that I was asleep about their worry that they would wake up one morning to find that I had enlisted. They knew that I dreamed of being a soldier, living a life of excitement. _

_But I would never just enlist. I wouldn't do that to them. _

"_Sorry I'm late," I said with a smile and walked over to shake hands with our guests. I didn't really look at the "eligible young lady" until we were seated, strategically placed next to each other._

_She was pretty with pale blond hair and bright blue eyes. She smiled shyly at me and said, "Hello, my name is Hannah." I reached for her hand automatically and kissed the back of it. "Mine's Edward. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hannah," I said politely looking into her eyes. _

_Her blue eyes widened when mine met hers and she inhaled deeply. Then, she batted her eyelashes and smiled coquettishly at me. _

_I internally shuddered and reached up and pinched the bridge of my nose in a gesture of frustration that I couldn't control. This was the main problem with the women I met. They were so superficial. Every word, every look, was done to entice a potential husband. _

_My mother wasn't like that. She was quick-witted and strong willed. Sometimes, I felt she was even more stubborn than my father. She was not shy about voicing her opinion and never used her beauty to get what she wanted. It was almost as if she were unaware of how extraordinarily beautiful she really was. As eyes would follow her, which they always did, she never seemed to notice._

_Arthur couldn't understand my lack of interest in women. Every time we went out he was flirting and cavorting with every young woman who showed the slightest interest._

"_If I had your looks and charm, Edward, I would use it to the best of my ability. The women practically melt when you're around. Live a little. Any one of these girls would bed you without blinking twice."_

_I cringed at the way he treated women. I wasn't interested in marrying, but I also didn't want to treat women like mere objects. _

_I suddenly felt all eyes in the room on Hannah and me. I tried to ignore them, but I felt my shoulders hunch again. I tried to focus my attention back on Hannah, but my heart wasn't in it. I had never met a woman who piqued my interest. But for my parents' sake, I tried to break through the act. As always, though, I only received superficial answers that were an attempt to tell me what I wanted to hear._

_I sighed in defeat and let my mind wander back to joining the army._

"Edward?"

"Edward? Come back!"

At the sound of Bella's voice, I moved more quickly. I had to get away from her.

We'd been engaged to be married. It seemed unimaginable. However, I couldn't deny that it was my mother's ring hanging around her neck.

The picture was another matter altogether. It was clear from the photograph that Bella and I had been a couple and we were friends with the "others." But why did I look like them? My eyes shone golden, just like Dr. Cullen's.

_Did he turn me into a demon?_

I just wanted everything to go away, so I continued to run.

When Bella found me by the river, she took my hand. Her touch sent a current of electricity shooting through me taking the exhaustion and confusion away. With the peace, however, I lost my grip on reality a little more, so I tried to retreat but she wouldn't let me.

When Bella told me about us, I tried to ignore her words and the pleasure of her touch, but I couldn`t.

I started to panic because conflicting impulses were pulling on me. I both wanted to escape, but also accept the comfort that Bella was willing to give me.

Then when she had begun humming a song that I knew I had written, I couldn't deny it any longer. It was the same song that came to mind in the hospital when I needed to calm myself. Therefore, with her arms wrapped around me and the notes of my music surrounding me, I let go and allowed her arms and voice to lull me.

_Is she right? Do I have amnesia? Could my mind have possibly made up my past and this is my reality?_

I didn't want to think that, because it would mean that my family, my friends, could all be a part of my fractured mind. I just felt so tired. And there was a part of me that _wanted_ to trust Bella.

So, I ran.

I didn't head in any particular direction. I just needed to get away from her. However, after a while I looked around and found myself in the middle of a very dense forest.

_Where am I going?_

Having driven through this part of the country, I knew that it was almost entirely forest. I had no idea where I was or where I was going.

Then, from out of nowhere one of the "others" stood in front of me.

I started to back away from her, every instinct telling me that even though she might look small and fragile, she was dangerous.

I turned to run, but her musical voice halted me in my tracks.

"Edward… I know that you don't trust us. But will you just listen for a minute?"

I didn't turn towards her, but I didn't move either.

"Our family hasn't been the same since you disappeared," her musical voice said softly. "Once we exhausted our search for you we packed up the house in Forks and moved to Alaska. I took all of your belongings with us because I held out hope that you weren't really dead and that the day would come when you would just reappear. We even took your piano with us. When we lived in Forks, we used to spend hours listening to your music. Now, it just sits in the middle of our living room, a constant reminder that you're gone..."

The sadness in her voice surprised me, but I hardened myself.

"You told me once that you started playing piano because of your mother. She used to tell you that you were her 'work in progress.' She gave you piano lessons and called you her 'little Mozart." She even convinced you to take dancing lessons with her. You told me that she promised not to tell anyone, but then she made you show her friends who came for tea how the two of you could dance," she said, softly.

I stopped walking and turned back towards her.

_How could she know this? _

"How do you know those things? I never told anyone about them."

She smiled, wistfully.

"You may not believe it, but you and I used to be very close."

"I don't understand. How can you know these things when I don't remember you?"

"I think it's all real Edward, just mixed together. I'm sure if you gave it time, it would start to make sense… Please, can't you just try to be open to us? We risked everything to get you out of that hospital. Can't you risk just a little by giving us a chance?"

I took a step towards a large broken-down fir tree and sat down, staring at my feet. I was torn. There was a part of me that did feel some kind of a connection to her, but another part of me cried out that I should run.

I looked into her hopeful golden eyes that were so much like the ones that haunted my dreams and with a deep breath nodded.

* * *

By the time that we reached the campsite, it was close to sunset. I was surprised to see that the luggage from the RV had been stacked beside two huge vehicles. Bella and the "others" were standing around expectantly.

When we got closer, Bella separated from the group and came towards us. "Are you ok?" she asked gently.

"Yes. I'm doing better," I said, taking a step away from her.

She looked so crestfallen at my reaction that I regretted my behavior. I knew that if Bella hadn't found me down by the river, I would've lost my mind. When I'd seen the photograph, my mind had felt like it was exploding and confusion had started to swallow me up.

Hesitantly, I added, "Thank you for earlier."

"You're welcome," she said, a shy smile appearing on her face as she ducked her head. I was mesmerized for a moment by her blush before shaking my head and taking another step back.

"Where are we going?" I said, trying to distract myself from her.

"We're going to do a little camping. I know that no one wants to think about this, but we did break you out of the hospital, so we need to lay low until we can get things sorted out," Jasper said, looking at me cautiously.

Fear suddenly flooded my system; memories of Janet, the guards, Emmett and Jasper came back to me. However, I closed my eyes and willed those thoughts away.

"It's okay, man. We'll get it all sorted out, but in the meantime, we have to keep a low profile," the big one named Emmett said.

I nodded, reluctantly. I promised that I would try to trust them and I was going to try.

"Before we leave, do you want to have a shower? We won't be around creature comforts like hot running water for a while," Alice said with a smile.

"I don't know. I don't think that there could be anything more relaxing and comforting than bathing in the great outdoors," the blonde named Rosalie said, leaning into Emmett.

I could feel myself turning red, so I looked away. The look they gave each other was quite intimate, and I felt like I was intruding. My eyes, however, settled on Bella and I flushed even more as I felt electricity course through me like a magnetic pull tugging me towards her, but I wrenched my eyes away and tried to focus on something else. My gaze, then, fell on Alice, who had a knowing smile plastered across her face.

"Yes… a shower would be nice," I said, backing away from them all and heading into the RV.

Once I was alone in the bathroom, I took a deep breath as exhaustion hit me again. All I wanted to do was to sleep, but it felt like it would be a long time before I would have the chance to just catch my breath, let alone sleep.

I turned on the water in the shower, just as Bella had shown me, then turned towards the mirror to look at the person staring back at me. I looked the same—my face, my hair, my eyes. So why were my eyes that strange gold color in the photo? I shook my head, trying to dispel those thoughts. I'd made the decision after talking to Alice that a suspension of disbelief was the only possible method for staying sane.

Before getting undressed, I unraveled the bandage from around my right hand. It had been aching abominably since I'd first woken up, but today it felt a little better. I'd thought that I'd broken my wrist, but once the bandage was off I was able to move it. I clenched and unclenched it, causing my knuckles to pop from so long being held immobile. It felt strange. One minute the joints felt like they were on fire, but the next they felt ice cold like I had put my hand in a bucket of ice water. I shook my hand, trying to get rid of the feeling and then removed my shirt.

My legs started to buckle as I saw the scars on my forearm.

"_Stay still, Edward. You wouldn't want me to mar that beautiful skin more than I have to, would you?" a voice said with a chuckle._

_I glared up at the black-haired man towering over me._

_The grin never left his face, but it didn't reach his eyes. They were cold blue and barely blinked as I glared into them. Instead, his smile grew wider before jabbing a needle into my arm. _

"_Its skin is not as impenetrable as before… interesting…Our little experiment must be working. These bloodsuckers aren't as indestructible as we once thought… What do you think?" he said, looking over his shoulder._

_I followed his eyes and focused on the haunted eyes of a familiar face. _

_I glared at him._

"_Keep that mutt away from me!" I snarled._

_The man flinched but kept his eyes on the other man standing above me.._

"_Oscar, this isn't right. I'm all in for killing them, but this isn't right…" _

"_You can't back out now. He's a rare find. I'm so glad that that red-haired bitch told me about him and his family years ago. Too bad she got away though…She's crafty, I'll give her that…"_

I shook my head and forced those thoughts out of my head. They were just figments of my imagination. These delusions were insanity trying to reassert itself. Since I couldn't remember anything from my past, the scars on my arm could have been caused by anything.

I pulled off the rest of my clothes and stepped into the shower.

* * *

We were on the road by 8:00. We weren't very far from the entrance to the park. Jacob explained that we would drive as far as we could before parking the vehicle and heading further on foot. He said that they had the perfect location by a secluded lake. When I commented on the fact that we would have to hike there in the dark, he told me that he could find the lake blind-folded.

It was only Jacob, Bella and me in this vehicle. The Cullens chose to drive in the other one. They were going to go for supplies and meet us at the campsite. I was thankful for that. I was trying to trust them, but I felt stressed when they were too close.

Jacob drove while Bella and I sat in the back. We were both so exhausted we could barely keep our eyes open and the backseat had more leg room. Once we got settled, Jacob handed us each a bag of food that the Cullens had brought with them called "take out."

It was a burger and fries and a really sweet drink that Bella called ice tea. The burger was still warm and filled my stomach pleasantly.

Bella and I sat in silence after we ate, while Jacob played music in the front seat. I was astounded that they were making vehicles this big now. In my memory, the cars were much smaller and didn't have all these gadgets in them.

I became more nervous as the silence lengthened. I was grateful to Bella for saving me, but I felt uncomfortable because of who she was supposed to be to me—a fiancee. I just couldn't understand how I could not remember having a fiance.

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, but quickly looked away when I caught her looking back at me.

I finally decided to break the silence. I needed to understand more about this world that I was living in and that started with understanding more about the woman sitting next to me.

"How did we meet, Bella?"

She smiled, gently. "The first time we met was in class on my first day at Forks High School. We were in biology together and you hated me - or at least I thought that you did- from the first moment that you saw me."

I was astonished. "What? What did I do?"

"Well, I was new at school and you were very… anti-social back then. You told me later that you'd been attracted to me and that freaked you out, so you acted like you hated me. You would glare at me during class and even tried to get a class switched so you wouldn't have to be in the same one with me."

I frowned. "I can't believe that I would've done that." I was both fascinated and horrified with what she was telling me, but suddenly a wave of grogginess settled over me. The exhaustion that I felt earlier was finally catching up with me.

She smiled again, not looking at me. "Well, I was completely obsessed with you. I stared at you all the time. At lunch time, I would sneak a look at you and started to notice that often you were looking back at me. I thought it was my imagination, but then you started talking to me in the halls and I was floored. There were so many pretty girls in the school interested in you. I had no idea why you would be interested in me."

"You thought you weren't pretty enough for me? You must be joking," I said, with a yawn.

My eyelids were starting to get heavy and I had to force them to stay open.

"Well… yeah."

"Bella… that's ridiculous…" I said, losing the battle to keep my eyes open. "I would've been honored by your attention," I mumbled, before yawning again and letting my eyes close completely.

* * *

I was having a very vivid dream of flying through a forest. The wind was howling around me as I hurtled at high speeds through the dark. I struggled to open my eyes but a feeling of calm settled over me and I relaxed back into sleep.

When I woke, I was disoriented.

I opened my eyes to find that I wasn't in a vehicle anymore. Instead, I was lying in a tent.

_How did I get here?_

I had a vague memory of stumbling through the dark and being half-guided, half-dragged into a tent before collapsing on a mattress.

The light shining through the vent of the tent indicated that it was close to sunset, which confused me.

_How long have I been asleep?_

I sat up quickly and nearly fell over as a wave of vertigo washed over me. I held myself still until the dizziness went away. Then, I looked around trying to get my bearings. It was at this moment that I noticed that I wasn't alone in the tent. Bella was asleep on another mattress nearby.

I was shocked and embarrassed to be alone in a tent with her.

I crawled quietly towards the door, not wanting her to wake up and see that we were alone together. However, Bella didn't move even at the sound of me unzipping the tent's flap.

The sight before me as I stumbled out of the tent took my breath away. We were on the shore of a small lake surrounded by trees. A full moon was just cresting over the trees and in the half-light of twilight a silver halo surrounded everything from its reflection on the water's surface.

Close to the water's edge, I saw someone crouched near a bonfire feeding sticks into the flames.

When I approached him, he looked up and smiled.

For a moment, it was as if I had double vision. I saw two men superimposed over each other. I squinted, trying to bring the man into focus. As I looked more carefully, I saw the differences. They both had the same size and coloring but they were definitely different people. I shuddered as I suddenly realized that one of them was from the delusion that I'd had in the bathroom of the RV. I rubbed my right arm, as pain shot through it.

Then, the vision was gone and only Jacob remained.

"Geez, I thought the two of you would never wake up," he said with a chuckle.

"How long have I been asleep?" I said, standing uncomfortably near the fire uncertain whether to join him.

"You and Bella have slept the whole day. I was actually starting to get worried, but I guess you needed the sleep," he said, looking back down at the fire.

"How did we get here? The last thing I remember is being in the car," I said, suspiciously.

"I know. When we had to start walking, I tried to wake you up, but you were so groggy I had to practically drag you through the woods. You're a lot heavier than you look. The hospital must've taken a lot out of you," he said, not looking up from the fire.

I stared at him for a moment, gauging whether he was telling me the truth, but he seemed relaxed. It was possible that he couldn't wake me up completely when it was time to walk. I'd never felt this exhausted in my life.

I sat down on a log that was pulled close to the fire.

"It's beautiful here," I said.

I stared out across the water hypnotized by it. Small ripples appeared sporadically across its silver surface as fish tried to catch insects floating just above the surface.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with fresh air. It never smelled like this in Chicago. The air here smelled so "alive."

"I know. I love this place. I found it when I was younger and I've always sort of felt like it was mine- a place where I could escape people. I've never met any other hikers here," Jacob said, standing up from the fire and stretching.

"I love camping with my father," I said, stretching my hands out towards the fire to warm them. My right hand had begun to ache again as cold flared through its joints.

However, grief washed over me as I suddenly realized that I would never go camping with my father again.

Jacob's voice pulled me from my sad thoughts.

"Camping is the best, especially when it's this warm. This weather is abnormal for this time of year. The sky is even clear," he said gesturing towards the sky.

I looked up and was again amazed by my surroundings. Without the lights of the city, the night sky was dense with stars.

"Are you hungry?" Jacob asked, opening a large container and hauling out various packages of foodstuffs, mostly unfamiliar.

Even though I didn't recognize them, I felt my stomach growl loudly. "Starving actually."

"Good… we have hotdogs and potatoes that we can bake in the fire. I love the taste of potatoes baked over an open fire. Here, will you open these?" he said giving me a package of what looked like sausages.

I ripped open the package. "What do I do with them?"

"Here," he said, handing me a couple of sticks. "Stick them on the end, so we can bake them over the fire," he said while wrapping potatoes in tin foil and placing them in the coals.

By the time the potatoes were cooked, I heard the sound of a zipper and footsteps behind us.

"So, what's for supper?"

I looked behind me and into Bella's eyes.

She stood a few feet away from me with an uncertain smile on her face.

I felt a wave of guilt and unease.

I thought about what it must be like for her. To her, I was her fiancé- a man she had planned on marrying, a man she loved. I looked like him, sounded like him, but I had no memories of her. I couldn't imagine what that must feel like.

So, tentatively I made a welcoming overture.

"Something called a hotdog and a baked potato," I said, smiling nervously and handing her a plate.

"Sounds great," she said, sitting down and taking a baked potato from Jacob.

We ate in silence, listening to the drone of bullfrogs and the haunting laugh of a loon echoing across the lake. The silence wasn't uncomfortable because my mind was pleasantly empty as I let the warmth of the fire and the soothing sounds of nature lull me.

* * *

It was approaching midnight, but after sleeping all day, both Bella and I were wide awake. We started talking. At first, it was stilted- full of awkward silences, but then we settled into talking about neutral things like what we enjoyed doing in the summer. I told them about the different places where I used to camp and Jacob talked about cliff diving in La Push. When we started talking about fishing Bella rolled her eyes, saying that her father was also obsessed with fishing.

She distracted us from our talk of fishing by announcing that it was time to make smores. She then introduced me to something called a "marshmallow."

I didn't want to try it at first, leery of the stringy stickiness that Jacob pulled off his stick but they both coaxed me into at least trying a bite. I reluctantly pulled the browned marshmallow off my stick, disgusted at first by how it stuck to my fingers.

"Really?" I said, looking at them suspiciously.

"Really," they both said in unison, laughing.

I took a bite of the strange looking substance stuck to my fingers and groaned in surprise at its deliciousness.

I looked up at them, my eyes wide with surprise.

"Wow," was all I could say, and we all started laughing.

"What's so funny?" a booming voice said from behind me.

My laughter stuck in my throat.

* * *

This my homage to all of the camping trips that I took with my brothers when I was young! Anyone else loving camping?


	13. Family

**A/N: Thanks to those of you who wrote me reviews. I really appreciate them! I promise that every chapter the mystery will unravel a little bit more.**

**FAMILY**

**BELLA**

I always loved the taste of hotdogs and baked potatoes cooked over an open fire. Edward was quite baffled by the food but seemed to enjoy it. He especially enjoyed marshmallows which I had insisted on buying.

Edward had a sweet tooth. The idea filled me full of joy. I guess it was because the Edward I'd known was often so serious and introspective. The idea of him loving marshmallows just made me happy.

The minute the Cullens arrived, however, Edward tensed up again. It was like two steps forward, one step back. Edward seemed to be starting to feel comfortable with us, but the Cullens were another story.

I knew that his human instincts were part of the reason that he couldn't accept his family. He _shouldn't_ feel comfortable around vampires, but the Cullens weren't just any vampires. I prayed hard that some day he would remember that. I knew how much they missed him.

While we stayed by the fire, the Cullens went through the motions of setting up their tents. I was sure that once we were asleep they would be out hunting and Jacob would probably go too.

Once everything was settled we all sat down around the fire and watched the flames in tense silence. When Emmett eventually interrupted it, both Edward and I jumped.

"So Edward, do you remember anything about me beating your ass at baseball?"

Edward's eyes widened in surprise. "Baseball?"

"Yep, you're pretty good. Not as good as me of course, but still leagues ahead of everyone else. Rosalie calls me her monkey man," he said sticking his chest out and thumping it with his fist.

Rosalie smacked him in the back of the head. "Shut up Emmett. You both are good but not that good. The rest of us hold our own. You two just could never tone down the testosterone trying to beat each other."

"Hey! I'm pretty good too!" Alice chirped.

"Tinkerbell, you ain't got nothin on me," Emmett said and then ducked as a hot dog soared his way.

I watched Edward's eyes follow the interplay between his family members. There was still tension in his body, but he seemed to be more open to talking to them. He didn't look like he was going to run, which was a vast improvement.

"Do we play in a league?" Edward asked sitting up from where he'd been leaning against a log.

"No, it's just a family thing. Carlisle and Esme started it soon after we were all adopted. I think it was to get us to bond as a family," Jasper said quietly as he roasted a marshmallow over the fire.

I curiously watched him roasting it, wondering what he was going to do with it when he was done.

"How long have we been a family?" Edward asked.

Before anyone else could respond, Alice spoke.

"Well, we were all older when we were adopted. We'd been in the foster system for a while. At first it was really hard to act as a family. The foster system made us all a bit wild. However, once we realized that we had a home with Carlisle and Esme we started to feel like a family, especially when they tried so hard to get us to work together doing things like playing baseball. You were the first to be adopted, then Rosalie, Emmett, and then Jasper and me. It feels like we've been a family for forever."

Emmett reached over and ruffled Alice's hair.

I felt Edward start to relax next to me again.

_Maybe he really can accept his family…_

Jasper handed his roasting stick to Emmett- the marshmallow nicely toasted.

"Here, Emmett. I know how much you love these," he said in his quiet voice.

"Can you hand me another one, too?'Edward asked.

Jasper handed him the bag; I could feel everyone surreptitiously watching Emmett.

Edward didn't seem to notice as he started to roast his over the fire.

Emmett stared at the marshmallow in front of him a look of disgust on his face.

"They're good, aren't they?" Edward said looking up at Emmett with a tentative smile.

I saw Emmett's shoulder's hunch slightly, but the disgusted look had disappeared.

"Yeah, they're great," he said with a forced smile and pulled it off the stick and swallowed it in one gulp.

"Why did… Carlisle and Esme choose to adopt such old children? Why don't they have any of their own?"

I could tell that he was having trouble saying Carlisle's name.

"Esme can't have children and Carlisle as a doctor saw a lot of abuse come out of the foster system. They have a lot of money, so they decided to use that money for good. He started with choosing to adopt you. He found giving you a home so rewarding that he started to look for other kids like you and he found us," Rosalie said, with a smile.

I looked at Rosalie more closely.

She seemed like a different person from the Rosalie that I knew before Edward disappeared. She'd always seemed to have anger bubbling under the surface. However, now, I started to see what Emmett saw in her. She smiled more and there was softness in her eyes that I'd never seen before. As I watched her, I started to notice how she stared at Edward. As she watched him, she had a small smile on her face. I started to realize how much she'd also missed Edward. Under her angry exterior, she really did love him.

I looked around at the rest of Edward's family. In the firelight, they looked almost human- the orange glow of the fire muting the paleness of their skin. They also were exuding a kind of happiness that I'd never felt from them before. It made tears prick my eyes as I realized how much having Edward back meant to them.

As the evening wore on, the conversation became more relaxed as people continued to talk about inconsequential things.

Then Emmett stood up and stretched. "So, who's in for a late night swim?"

Alice jumped up. "ME!"

Jasper agreed as well which surprised me.

"Jacob?" Emmett looked at him with one eyebrow cocked.

"I'm not into skinny dipping man…" Jacob said with a smirk on his face.

"Well, if you're going to be a prude about it. I guess we can all wear suits. Alice bought some for everyone."

Alice started jumping up and down clapping.

"Come on Rose, Bella, I bought you both very chic suits."

She grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet.

"But-" I began.

"No 'buts,' Bella," she said with a giggle. "I think a swim is just what we need!"

I looked behind me as Alice dragged me away. Emmett was hauling swimsuits out of a bag and throwing them at Jacob and Edward.

* * *

I had never seen Edward in so little clothing. His body was beautiful, like Michelangelo's David. I was so thankful it was night time because I knew that I must be beet red.

When I first saw him standing underneath the trees with the reflection of the fire sending flares across his skin, I became short of breath and I had to stop for a moment.

Alice broke my trance by throwing her arms around my waist from behind and whispering in my ear. "I knew you'd love it. Edward always did look good in forest green, although you don't seem to be admiring my fashion choice," she giggled.

I would have elbowed her in the ribs if it wouldn't have broken my elbow.

I hissed. "Alice… be… quiet…."

"Don't worry. I picked the best suit for you as well. His eyes are going to bug out of his head."

I cringed and hunched my shoulders.

She grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled them back. "Be proud of what you have, sister!"

Then she flitted towards Jasper who had left the water to join her.

I took a deep breath and walked toward them.

When we both approached, Edward turned around to look at us and froze.

I saw him notice Alice, who was dressed in a bikini, first, but he quickly wrenched his eyes away. Then his eyes settled on me and he froze. I felt embarrassment flush through me because I wasn't wearing a whole lot more.

_I bet bathing suits were quite different in the early 1900s... _

_How did I let Alice convince me to wear this? _

Just at that moment I heard crashing coming up the beach and by the huge approaching shadow I knew that it was Emmett.

"Don't you dare come near me Emmett," I shouted backing away from him quickly.

"Oh, come on now little sis…. You aren't afraid of a little water are you?"

When he reached me, he didn't grab me like I'd expected but instead shook himself like a large dog, spraying both Edward and me from head to foot.

I looked over at Edward and saw that there was a hint of a smile on his face.

Emmett came behind us and with an arm behind both of our backs ushered us to the water.

When I stuck my feet in the water, the shock made me yelp. It wasn't really that cold, but it was startling. Edward grabbed my hand as I started to tip forward.

"It really isn't all that cold," he said with a crooked smile.

My heart nearly stopped beating. I hadn't seen that smile in almost three years.

"Well, see how you like it!" I said and splashed him from head to toe.

He gasped and lost his balance, reaching out to grab my shoulder in order to keep from falling. But instead he caused us both to lose our balance and splash into the water.

I crested the water spluttering, but then, I heard Edward laughing.

I parted my hair from where it was plastered to my face and saw Edward smiling at me.

_How could he look even better wet while I probably looked like a sea weed monster? _

I felt a momentary insecurity, but then his infectious laugh caused me to laugh too.

I heard a growl behind us as Emmett leaped at Rosalie. I turned my head and watched them fight playfullly, trying to push each other's head under water. With a laugh, I turned back to Edward but was shocked to see a look of fear on his face.

I could literally see his walls slam down around him in his eyes.

I was confused at first until I heard another growl from behind me. At the sound of Emmett's playful growl, Edward flinched. I reached out to soothe him but he stepped away from me.

"I've got to… I'm… I'm tired. I think I'm going to go to bed," he said, turning away and heading for the beach.

I sighed, feeling my hope start to disappear.

All the splashing had stopped behind me.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Emmett said in a somber voice.

"I know. It's okay..." I said, watching as Edward retreated farther and farther away from me.

* * *

_"I love you," I gasped into his ear, weaving my fingers into his hair. _

"_You are my life," he whispered against my overheated skin as he trailed his lips down the column of my throat. His words and cool breath sent shivers through my body as he gently glided his lips back and forth along my collarbone. _

_My whole body was quivering with the pent up need to just throw myself at him because his restrained caresses were slowly driving me mad. But I knew that an action like that would only cause him to pull away, so I kept myself in control only allowing myself to clutch at his hair with every surge of desire._

_However, I couldn't stop myself from groaning as the need inside me continued to grow._

_Edward pulled away from my neck and looked down at me with lust filled eyes._

"_I love it when you make that sound," he said with a crooked smile._

_I reached up and brushed the hair off of his forehead and then lightly traced the contours of his cheek and curve of his lips._

"_Are you sure that you want to wait until our honeymoon?" I said half-joking and half-not._

_His smile grew wider._

"_Am I driving you out of your mind with desire?" he said with a smirk._

_In response, I reached up and cupped the back of his head, pulling his lips to mine. I tried to pour all of my longing into our kiss, so that he could understand what he was doing to me. _

_His breath hitched in his throat and then it was his turn to groan. _

_Without breaking our kiss, Edward slipped his hand under the hair at the nape of my neck and pulled me towards him so that we were both lying side by side. _

_I let my hand graze over his chest and down his stomach before coming to rest on his hip. It was one my favorite places to rest my hand because it felt so intimate and possessive, yet innocent._

_When I needed air, Edward pulled his lips away from mine only to bury his face into the crook of my neck, pressing his body closer to me. _

_Then everything changed. Edward pulled away and looked down at me his eyes full of sadness. _

"_**Bella, I'm going to give you some privacy. I won't go far, but I won't listen either. I know you don't want an audience, no matter which way you decide to go"**_

"_No! No! Edward please don't leave me! I would never choose anyone else!"_

I bolted awake at the intensity of the dream. At first, I was disoriented. I looked around for Edward, but when I saw that I was in a tent reality returned.

I laid back down, hoping that I would fall back asleep. However, eventhough I was extremely tired, I was now wide awake.

With a sigh, I got dressed and left the tent.

It was probably a half an hour after dawn, and there was a thick ground fog covering the surface of the lake. It looked like the surface of the water was covered in cotton balls. It really was a beautiful place here, but I couldn't really appreciate it because I was absolutely exhausted. Jake had given me his tent, while he went out hunting with the Cullens, but a restful sleep eluded me as I re-played the previous few days through my head. When I finally did fall asleep, I was plagued with my re-occuring nighmare of the final words that Edward said to me before his disappearance.

I sat down next to the fire which had burned down to coals and stirred them awake with a stick that Jacob had left near the fire. My eyes began to ache, so I pressed the heels of my hands against my closed eyelids, trying to alleviate the pain.

I didn't hear her approach, but when I felt someone sit down on the log next to me I knew it was Alice. She draped her arm around me.

"Don't worry Bella. Things are going to get better," she said soothingly.

"How do you know? Have you had a vision?" I said, opening my eyes and turning towards her hopefully.

"No. My visions are still blank where Edward's concerned, but I just know."

"Then, how? How can you know that things will be okay?" I said sadly. "I just feel so confused. On the one hand, I'm so happy that he's here. On the surface, he is Edward in every way. He looks like Edward, sounds like Edward. On the other hand, I feel sad because he isn't _Edward_. He doesn't have any of the same memories… What if that Edward is gone forever?"

"Bella, if Edward were sick, would you love him any less?" she asked.

"Of course not!" I gasped.

"Well, Edward's sick. He's lost his memory. It doesn't mean that he isn't the same man that you loved. When people talk to him, I know that he doesn't have the same memories but he acts the same, thinks the same, smiles at the same things. He _is_ Edward," she said softly.

I mulled that over in my head.

"I saw him looking at you last night and the way he was looking was so like _our_ Edward that I could have forgotten that he'd lost his memory."

"Really?" I said, happiness filling me.

"Yes. He's just lost right now. He's trying to make sense of the world around him…" she said gently.

"I'm sure that Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and I aren't helping the situation. We aren't normal no materr how hard we try," she said with a sadness that made me grab her hand.

After a lengthy pause, she looked at me with a smile back on her face.

"Besides, Jasper says that all he can feel from the two of you is lust and angst… same old Bella and Edward," she said with a giggle.

I cringed. "He noticed?"

"Yes, but it doesn't take an empath to notice something like that. You both keep giving each other angst filled looks when the other isn't looking," she said, standing up.

"I can hear him waking up, so I have to go. It's going to be sunny today, so we're going hunting. I'm sure that you and Jacob can hold down the fort until we get back tonight," she said with a smile.

"Remember, the angst is what you want to avoid. The lust on the other hand…" she said with another giggle.

"Alice!" I said with a whine.

"Have a good day!"

And then she was gone.


	14. Instinct

**INSTINCT**

**ALICE**

I surreptitiously watched Edward and Bella laughing and I clutched Jasper to me in excitement.

"They seem to be doing well. Leave it to Emmett to break the ice," Jasper whispered in my ear.

"I bought the suits," I said resentfully. People always discounted the power of fashion.

"Yes, you did," Jasper said and kissed me.

I was so excited to see Edward laughing that I ignored Jasper's teasing tone. Even when Edward was a vampire, I rarely saw him laugh this freely.

We all needed this time together to heal as a family. We weren't the same after Edward disappeared. Once we'd exhausted the search for him, we'd gone to stay with the Denali's. While we were there, we'd tried to pull ourselves together, but it was as if the glue that had held us together was gone. Esme had been inconsolable and with that the joy in our house had vanished. Carlisle poured himself into his work while the rest of us just went through the motions of existence. I never realized how much Edward had meant to me until he was gone. Our despair had gotten to a point where Jasper could barely function. All of our emotions were overwhelming him and I'd become afraid that I would lose him as well.

I pulled Jasper's arms tighter around me at the thought and he gently squeezed me in response.

However, a loud growl pulled me out of my thoughts.

Both Jasper and I tensed immediately. Even though I knew it was Emmett, it was an instinctual reaction that no vampire could control. It was a part of our predatory nature to go on the defensive at the warning sound of another predator.

"Oh no," I gasped. My eyes immediately sought out Edward and my fears were realized. A myriad of emotions flitted across Edward's face but settled into a look of fear that caused him to cower.

Emmett heard my gasp and turned towards Edward in time to see him backing away from us and out of the water.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Emmett said hanging his head.

"I know, it's ok," Bella said as her eyes followed Edward's retreat up the beach.

Jasper squeezed me in a tight hug.

"What's he feeling?" I asked him softly, the sadness returning.

"He seems more confused now than anything else."

"We just need to give him time," I said, but deep down I wasn't sure whether that would be enough.

"If anyone is going to bring him back, it'll be Bella. The vibes that are coming off them both are exactly as they've always been—lust and angst," Jasper said with a soft chuckle.

"Yep, that's them alright," I said with a sigh.

"Feeling better?" he asked, turning me around so that I was facing him and pulling me tightly against his body.

"Much," I said before kissing him hard.

* * *

**EDWARD**

Jacob and I took a walk down along the water's edge while Bella went about making breakfast.

Last night was disturbing in many ways. As much as I wanted to deny it, I could feel a connection to the Cullens. Listening to the interplay between them and the ease with which they talked with me caused me to almost forget that they weren't normal. But the fact was that I knew with 100% certainty that they _weren't_ normal.

That _I _wasn't normal.

When Emmett had growled at Rosalie the night before, several things had happened at once. Without even thinking, I crouched low in the water preparing for an attack. A growl rumbled in the back of my throat and I started to reach for Bella before realizing what I was doing.

_Horror overwhelmed me. _

_**What am I?**_

_I looked at Bella and was disturbed that I was barely able to stop myself from lunging towards her, so that I could throw my body between her's and Emmett's. The need to protect her still raged through me._

_However, when Emmett growled again, I cringed away from them both as the animal inside of me roared to life again._

_Bella reached out towards me, but I stumbled backwards away from her._

_I've got to… I'm… I'm tired. I think I'm going to go to bed," I said, turning away and heading for the beach._

_From behind me, I heard the somber voice of Emmett say, "I'm sorry, Bella."_

_A memory of Emmett and Jasper attacking the guards in the hospital came to me at the sound of his voice. _

_I shuddered at the terrifying memory._

_However, I also remembered that Emmett had only attacked the guard when he had a gun pointed at me. _

_My head started to pound and I wanted nothing more than to get away from all of them._

To stop my mind from mulling over these dark thoughts, I turned to Jacob.

"How long have we been friends Jacob?"

We sat down on an outcropping of rocks that rested near the edge of the water.

Jacob picked up a rock and skipped it skillfully across the water's surface before answering me.

"Well, we haven't always been friends. At first, we really hated each other."

I was confused. "Why?"

Out of all of them, I felt the most at ease around Jacob.

"Well, if I'm being honest, it was because I was in love with Bella and she was in love with you."

"Oh…"

"Don't worry, man. You're the love of her life. I never stood a chance," he said clapping me on the shoulder.

"So then are we really friends?" I said ignoring what he said about Bella. It was too confusing.

I liked Jacob. He was a part of this world that made sense.

"I think we always had the potential to be friends, but a few things like Bella caused a lot of friction…"

"Shit..." he said and rubbed his hands over his face. "Edward, I've felt responsible for your disappearance for the past three years. If I hadn't lured Bella away, you wouldn't have been alone." he said, looking defeated.

"What do you mean 'lured Bella away'"?

Jacob proceeded to tell me about the day leading up to my disappearance.

The second that Jacob said that he'd kissed Bella, I felt a burst of anger towards him, which took me by surprise. But the feeling didn't dissipate.

It was just one of the many signs that showed me that Bella had meant something to me and still did in a sense. Ever since meeting her, I felt _something_ for her. She brought out emotions in me that I'd never had before. No matter how many women my parents paraded in front of me hoping that I would take an interest, I never felt any real attraction to them. However, with Bella it was as if I couldn't keep my eyes off her when she was near.

My mind returned to the feeling that I had had the night before when I almost threw myself in front of her to protect her.

I shuddered and pushed the memory of that feeling out of my mind.

I had no memory of the events leading up to my disappearance. Maybe there had been a reason that Bella had left with Jacob. Maybe there was a reason that she would've been better off with him.

"I don't blame you Jacob," was all that I could say.

A silence fell over us both as we stared out across the water.

"Jacob, will you be truthful with me?"

He looked at me seriously.

"Yeah, I guess I owe you that," he said quietly.

"Are the Cullens really my family?" I asked point blank.

"Yes."

"Can I trust them?" I then asked hesitantly.

He paused considering his words. "Well, that's a complicated question. Your instincts towards them are not wrong. They are dangerous. That's probably why you're uncomfortable around them. But they are good people."

"You won't tell me more than that will you," I asked although I already knew the answer.

"No," he said bluntly.

"Was I like them before this happened? I must've been. Why else would they be going to such extremes to protect me?" I stated hollowly.

My mind returned to my reaction the night before as I waited for his answer.

"Yes, you were… but they would've fought for you regardless. I know that you don't trust Carlisle, but he was devastated when you disappeared. There are lots of things that you don't understand yet but we can't talk about them until we're all safe and we are far from safe right now," he said.

I mulled his answers over in my head.

"You seem pretty deep in thought this morning," he said breaking the somber mood.

His question brought me back to another reason that I'd come down here. I'd asked Jacob to take a walk with me in order to clear my head.

I could still vividly remember what she looked like as if it were a picture in my head.

_I looked down at myself self-consciously. I was barely covered up, but I had to go through with it now. If I backed out, the rest would think that I was afraid. I wasn't afraid of swimming, but I knew that if I was wearing only this much that meant that everyone else was as well. _

_What would Bella look like?_

_I inhaled deeply and exited the tent to the sound of splashing. _

_I could see that Emmett, Jacob, Jasper, and Rosalie were already in the water, so I started to slowly walk towards the water's edge_.

_Then I heard a high pitched voice behind me. _

"_Oh, I knew they'd fit. This is why I've been your personal shopper for all these years. I have great taste and I know all of your sizes by heart. What do you think of Bella's suit?" _

_I turned towards Alice at the mention of Bella, so my eyes first focused on her. To my shock, it appeared that Alice was wearing only her brassiere and panties. I'd never seen a woman in so little clothing besides in the magazines that Arthur was always ogling. Averting my eyes in embarrassment, my gaze settled on Bella who was wearing only a little more than Alice. She was wearing skin tight blue shorts and a similar top to Alice that covered "slightly" more of her. I felt like I had just walked into a women's changing room._

_I swallowed with difficulty and pulled my eyes away from Bella's body only to lock eyes with her._

"_Come on. Come on. What are you all waiting for?"Alice said from a few feet away. _

_But it was as if Bella and I were locked in place unable to take our eyes off each other. I didn't know what to say, but I couldn't look away…_

"I needed a break from Bella. She's… confusing …" I said, not knowing how to continue.

"Confusing? What did she do?"

If I were home, I would have talked to James and Arthur about this. I wanted to talk to someone and it seemed that Jacob was a person that I could trust.

"I don't remember her, but I feel… I want…" I didn't know how to express myself.

Jacob's eyes popped open. "Ah… Bella has that effect on the male species…"

"No, it's not like that…" I said, feeling myself turning red.

But it was _exactly_ like that.

Since the episode with Emmett the night before, my thoughts of Bella had descended a rather indecent route. I tried to rationally tell myself that it was wrong to think that way about her because she was a virtual stranger. However, whenever I let my guard down, my brain would return to the night before.

Jacob started laughing. "Hey man, no one could blame you. Bella's hot!"

I shoved his shoulder surprising him enough that he lost his balance and fell off the rock.

We both started laughing hard.

* * *

After breakfast, Jacob had decided to go exploring. He'd said that he hadn't been at the lake for a long time and wanted a chance to "commune with nature."

This left Bella and I alone together and I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

I walked to the picnic table where Bella was unloading things from a large bag. I saw a note sitting next to it, so I picked it up.

_Here are some things I thought you guys would need. See you tonight _

_-Alice_

In the bag were two pairs of sunglasses, a bottle of something called sun block, towels, and books. Everything we needed for a day at the beach. I also noticed that down near the water's edge was a beach umbrella.

Alice must have brought all of this with her. It was curious that she hadn't stayed to enjoy the beautiful day when she went to such work to get everything that we would need.

Bella told me that the Cullens had needed to go to town to do some shopping for things that they'd forgotten to buy. But from looking around the campsite, I couldn't see anything that we needed.

"Well, I guess we're all set up for a beach day," I said with a nervous smile motioning to the supplies left for us.

"Yeah," she said shyly. "I always enjoyed beach days when I used to visit my mother in Florida."

"Your parents live in Florida?"

"No, just my mom and her new husband. Charlie lives in Forks."

I was confused and it must have shown on my face.

"My parents divorced years ago. My mom moved to Jacksonville and my dad stayed in Forks. He's the chief of police there."

I immediately felt sorry for bringing it up.

"I'm sorry Bella. It must be so hard to have a broken family."

She looked at me surprised, but then her eyes softened.

"It's ok. It was years ago and my parents are both happy now."

"So, a beach day… What does that entail?" I said, trying to keep things light.

"It entails lounging, swimming, and lounging again," she said with a small smile.

"Sounds good to me," but then I didn't know what to do next.

"Do you want to take a dip?" she asked, with a smile.

"Sure," I said, but I still didn't move.

She grabbed her suit off the line and threw mine to me.

"I'm going to go change," she said, walking off towards the tents.

I looked down at the suit in my hands and suddenly realized that in the harsh light of day I would have a very clear view of Bella and she of me. I'd barely been able to keep my eyes off her last night, but luckily in the dark she hadn't noticed. Today, there would be no cover of darkness in which to hide in.

_This was a very bad idea._

When I emerged from the tent after changing, I was even more nervous than the night before.

_Be a man Edward. _

I grabbed my towel as I went down to the water's edge to sit under the umbrella. Taking out the bottle of sunblock, I read the label. From the description on the bottle, it was important to use the lotion to stop your skin from burning.

I spread it evenly over my chest, arms, and face

Just as I was starting to put it on my legs, I heard a shuffling and looked up to see Bella approaching. I gulped and looked away, not wanting her to catch me staring.

"Do you want me to put some on your back?" she said softly.

I looked up at her and saw the nervousness in her eyes.

I immediately started to say no, but then changed my mind.

"Sure," I said gruffly.

Bella got down on her knees and crawled under the umbrella with me, giving me a clear view of the tops of her breasts before I was able to look away.

Then, she was behind me and I felt the tension leave my body when she was out of my sight. But when she spoke, I could feel how close she was behind me at the feeling of her breath between my shoulder blades. I immediately tensed up again.

"Can you pass me the bottle?" she said softly.

"Sure," I said, handing it over my shoulder.

It seemed like my vocabulary had been reduced to that one word.

_Get it together Edward._

Then, I felt the cold liquid on my back and her warm hands spreading it across my shoulder blades.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax my muscles by attempting to block out the fact that it was Bella rubbing my shoulders. I tried to just enjoy the feeling of human contact and eventually I was lulled into an almost semi-conscious state of contentment as my muscles started to relax more and more. When her hands stopped moving, I didn't even notice at first.

"All done," she said.

I blinked. For a moment, I'd forgotten where I was.

"Can you do mine?" she said softly.

She crawled around in front of me and sat with her back to me. I stared at the expanse of bare skin in front of me and I felt my heart start to pound.

"Su-," I started, but I had to clear my throat to get the word out.

"Sure," I said roughly.

I poured a large amount of the liquid in my hands. Then, I hesitantly began to smooth the cream across her shoulders and down her back. At first, I barely touched her, but when the cream just beaded on her skin I allowed my hand to rest fully on her bare skin. I paused for a moment just feeling the heat emanating off of her. It was like holding my hands out towards the flames of the bonfire the night before.

Then, I began to smooth the lotion evenly across her skin. When it was done, I took a shuddering breath as I pulled myself away from her.

She moved away from me as well before turning towards me.

"Thanks," she said a blush clearly staining her cheeks.

"Sure," I said, looking away in embarrassment.

We quickly finished coating ourselves in sun block in silence.

I crawled out from under the umbrella first and stood up quickly.

"Swim?" I said with a nervous smile, holding my hand out towards her to pull her to her feet.

"Sure," she said placing her small hand in mine.

When our skin touched and our eyes met, I was held immobile.

It was the sound of a bull frog's drone that eventually pulled us out of our trance.

I smiled nervously at her again and tugged her hand, pulling her with me towards the water.

* * *

After swimming, we spent the afternoon reading.

We dragged the beach blanket out from under the umbrella, so that we could enjoy the warmth of the sun.

Bella lay on her stomach with her book in front of her, while I lay a few feet away on my back with a towel rolled up for a pillow and sunglasses shading my eyes. I'd always loved being out in the sun, but it felt even better today as if my skin was craving it.

I tried to read, but I found myself drifting in and out of sleep. At one point, I looked over at Bella and saw that she was half-way through her book Wuthering Heights.

"Wow, you're a fast reader," I said with a smile.

"I've read it before," she said, looking over her shoulder at me. With the movement of her head, the coil of her pony tail slid across her back before coming to rest against her neck. I had the sudden urge to reach out and run my fingers through it so I looked away quickly and distracted myself by voicing something that had always bothered me about the book.

"I've never understood why people like Heathcliff. Both Cathy and Heathcliff seem to be deplorable people to me," I said thoughtfully.

"I know what you mean, but there is still something appealing about them. I think because even though they are both unlikable people their love for each other is unquestionable."

She paused before continuing.

"You know, I was reading this book when we were dating. You used to read it to me before I'd fall asleep," she said with a smile.

"I was in your bedroom?" I said horrified at my audacity.

"Yeah, you used to sneak into my bedroom at night to avoid Charlie… Charlie didn't like you much back then," she said with a chuckle.

"Why? Was I an awfully bad boyfriend?" I asked, scared to know the answer. If I was sneaking into a woman's bedroom at night to avoid her father, I must've been.

"No, he just didn't understand us. He thought you were a bad influence on me," she said.

"Was I a bad influence? I know that there are things about me and my family that are not right," I said tensing up.

Bella sat up and looked down at me.

"No. It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with an overprotective single parent who is a paranoid police officer."

At the word police officer, the remnants of my relaxed feelings disappeared abruptly. Bella and I were not just out for a day at the beach we were here hiding from the police and who knew who else.

She must've sensed my change in mood because she leaned over me and lifted my sun glasses off of my eyes and onto my forehead.

"Edward…"

Before, she tried to placate me, I changed the subject.

"It doesn't matter. Tell me where you met Jacob…"

This new conversation took my mind off of my somber thoughts but in the back of my mind they still haunted me. I allowed my mind to flit away from them though because I was so tired of being scared, sad, or angry. I just wanted a little normalcy. So I let the conversation go elsewhere and was soon caught up in Bella's world as she talked about her life and our life together.

She also convinced me to talk more about my own life. Even though it hurt to think about them, it felt good because I didn't want to forget anything about my family and friends whether they were real or imagined.

A thought occurred to me while I was talking about my mother.

"You know, Bella? You remind me of my mother. You don't try to hide who you are. I haven't seen that very often in the women I've met," I said thoughtfully.

"My mother was like that. She didn't put on airs like many other women. Her natural beauty pulled everyone in too," I said but then froze at what I'd said.

I told her she was beautiful.

"Edward, I'm not beautiful…" she said softly looking down.

I looked at her sitting across from me.

She was the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen. Her long mahogany hair trailed over her shoulder and down her chest in a ponytail. Her skin was starting to develop a light tan, which brought out a light spattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. I couldn't see her eyes behind her sunglasses, but I knew that they were a warm chocolate brown that had hypnotized me on more than one occasion.

"Bella, you don't see yourself clearly if you can't see it," I said, matter of factly.

I felt her tense beside me.

"What did I say?" I said concerned.

"No… it's nothing… It's just that you said something like that to me years ago. Almost word for word…"

I felt instantly guilty. I suddenly remembered that I was not the Edward that she knew and loved years ago. It was just so easy to forget it with her close to me. I was not her fiancé. I was a stranger.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I said sadly.

"What do you mean?" she said sitting up more.

"I'm just a copy of the man you loved. I look like him and sound like him. It must be so hard for you to be near me," I said, laying back down and covering my eyes with my arm to block the sun.

"Edward," she said pulling on my arm.

I wouldn't move it. I didn't want to see the sadness in her eyes.

"Edward, look at me," she said in a tone that was anything but sad. She sounded angry.

I moved my arm and squinted at her in confusion.

She pushed her sun glasses off her face and onto her head.

"I wish that this aspect of your personality wasn't the same. Why do you always have to doubt yourself or me?" She sighed in exasperation. "I love you for you, not my memories. You are _my_ Edward even without your memories," she said in exasperation.

"How can you feel that way? You don't really know me. I don't even know me!" I said feeling irrationally angry.

"I mean. Where did I come from? Why am I here? I looked like them in that picture with golden eyes and pale skin! I'm even covered in scars like I've been in a fight with wild animals. I am some kind of monster!" I said, clenching my eyes shut and tilting my face up to the sun as I tried to control my anger. I couldn't help remembering the animalistic urges that flared through me the night before and I rubbed my arm as a flare of ice burned through it. My anger had nothing to do with Bella and it was unfair of me to direct it towards her. She'd already done so much for me.

Everything was still for a moment but then I felt her hand grasp my chin and pull my face down.

"Edward, please look at me," she whispered.

I opened my eyes and looked into her beautiful brown ones that were shining as if she were holding back tears.

"You are NOT a monster. You were and are a loving man. You've never put yourself first. You've always considered everyone's needs and feelings before even thinking about yourself. This hasn't changed. You're still worrying about me even though I haven't been through anything compared to what you've been through… It doesn't matter why you're here. You're your own person and that person is _so_ worth loving," she said her lower lip trembling.

I looked at her feeling terrible about upsetting her.

Without even thinking, I reached up and rested my palm against her cheek.

"Please don't cry," I said softly.

"I won't cry if you promise not to beat yourself up for something that ISN'T true," she said fiercely despite her trembling.

"Ok," I said gently, wanting to make her feel better.

"Let's go for another swim before we both melt," she said, pulling my hand from her face and clenching it in hers before getting to her feet and pulling me up with her. She then started towards the water never letting go of my hand.

* * *

As we sat around the fire that night, I couldn't take my eyes off Bella. The orange of the flames made her skin glow white and her eyes sparkle.

I felt the same pull towards her that had only been intensifying since the night before. I wanted nothing more than to jump across the fire and crush her against me.

Bella met my eyes at the exact moment that this thought crossed my mind and her eyes widened. I quickly broke eye contact, looking to the left of her. My eyes settled instead on Alice who was sitting next to her. She met my eyes with a knowing smirk on her face causing me to flush in embarrassment. I quickly looked away from her and turned to Jasper, but disconcertingly his eyes gleamed darkly when they met mine.

I cleared my throat before asking, "So, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"Well, it is supposed to be another sunny day tomorrow, so I think that Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and I should head back into town and see what we can learn. We can't stay in these woods forever, so we have to figure out why people are looking for you. I also want to contact Carlisle and find out what he has learned," Alice answered.

"We can come too. You guys shouldn't be doing all the work. I feel like a burden," I argued.

"It's ok, Eddie," Emmett interjected with a nickname that I'd hated since I was a child.

My focus shifted to him as I scowled at him. His smile turned into a grin, which showed me that he was doing it intentionally to push my buttons.

"I think that you, Jacob, and Bella should hold down the fort here," Jasper said.

I frowned, instantly suspicious as my attention was brought back to the matter at hand.

"Why? Why don't you want me to come?"

Emmett seemed at a loss, the smile dropping off of his face.

My suspicion grew.

Jasper answered me. "I know that none of us want to be reminded of this, but we are on the run. That's why we're here camping."

I felt instantly guilty. We were all on the run because of me. The Cullens were just trying to protect me.

Alice's hand settled on my shoulder.

"Edward, we'd do anything for you. You mean so much to us. All three of you do. Just let us help you. You might not remember, but you'd do the same for any of us."

I looked deep into her eyes and I knew that it was true.

"I believe you," I said smiling wistfully.

"I need a swim. Anyone else in?" she said with a smile, looking around the fire.

There was a chorus of yeses as we all stood up and grabbed our bathing suits off the line.

* * *

I was actually having fun. Emmett reminded me a lot of Arthur. He was always the life of the party while I tried to be on the sidelines. However, he never let me wallow in my shyness. He would always pull me out into the spotlight and even if at first I was resistant I would eventually relax enough to have fun.

After splashing around in the water for a while, people started to do their own thing. Jasper and Alice, Rosalie and Emmett swam off on their own leaving Jacob, Bella, and I. Bella and Jacob were talking softly treading water, while I let myself float and take the time to stare up at the stars.

When I was young, my father and I would often go up on the roof of our home and stare at the stars. My father liked astronomy and he used to teach me the different names for the constellations. I never felt closer to my father than at those moments. He was often so busy working that it was hard for him to find time to spend just with me.

I felt a lump form in my throat at the memory of my father, but I also felt more at peace than I had in a long time.

I then noticed that people were starting to get out of the water, so with a deep breath I dunked my head under its calm surface before slowly making my way to the beach.

* * *

The days bled together, so that eventually I had no idea how long we'd actually been camping. The Cullens would leave us during the day, explaining that they were trying to solve the problems that were causing us to have to hide and I stopped questioning them. In this place, separate from the world, I didn't have to think about my future, I could just live in the moment.

On the sunny days Bella, Jacob, and I would spend our time reading, swimming, canoeing, fishing, and exploring the area, while at night we sat around the fire with the Cullens and talked.

These days and nights with nothing but each other for company allowed me to get to know my family and friends. Bella talked about her childhood and her parent's divorce. Even though she said that it didn't bother her, I could tell that it had been a difficult time in her life. Jacob talked about his mother Sarah who had passed away years ago. He barely remembered her, but the things that Billy kept around the house that belonged to her were a continuous reminder of what he'd lost. I discovered from Bella that he rarely talked about the loss of his mother and I was touched that he was sharing such personal feelings with us. I also learned about how Emmett and Rosalie fell in love. I could tell by the way that they looked at each other that this was the edited version. Whenever I looked at the two of them, I always felt like I was intruding. Sometimes the looks that they directed at each other were quite indecent. I also learned about how Alice and Jasper fell in love. Jasper's life before the Cullens had been quite difficult. His foster family had been cruel and often involved him in crime. He didn't go into any detail about that time in his life, but he said that it was Alice that had helped him let go of his past.

Also, I started talking about my family and my friends. I was surprised at how curious the rest were about them. I would've thought that they would have known all about them. However, I'd always been a private person, so it made sense that I would have wanted to keep my memories private, especially since I'd lost them all.

Eventually, I found myself forgetting to be afraid of the Cullens. I also found myself forgetting that Bella was a virtual stranger to me and not a woman that I was courting. I was becoming more and more enamored with her. I couldn't take my eyes off her and when she would meet my eyes I would often feel a current of electricity crackle between us.

Every time this feeling would wash over me, I would feel guilty but that guilt was becoming fainter each day.

* * *

I sighed as I let the waves gently rock me back and forth. The sound of my brothers and sisters splashing in the water quieted as they got further away, so I knew that I was safe for the moment.

Emmett had nearly drowned me when he'd grabbed me and threw me into the water earlier. I'd been thrown off balance because when he grabbed me under the arms the iciness of his hands and the fact that I was ticklish shamefully made me scream like a girl. He took advantage and literally launched me into the air.

Now, in the safety of the silence I floated and enjoyed the stars. I only stirred when I heard someone quietly splashing as they swam towards me. Thinking it was Emmett, I floated quietly pretending not to notice until the person was close and then I lunged at them grabbing them around the waist and pulling them towards me.

I immediately noticed by the feeling of soft curves in my arms that it wasn't Emmett.

Bella gasped in shock.

I started to let go of her but she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you," she said breathlessly, so close that I could feel her breath on my face.

"It's ok," I said and kissed her.

It felt as natural as breathing, so I was lost in the feeling of her soft lips on mine not registering what I was doing.

She sighed softly and her arms tightened around my neck.

I shuddered as a feeling of possessiveness surged through me, causing me to wrap my arms around her. She felt so small in my arms- so small and so fragile. I wanted to protect her and cherish her, but when her tongue gently licked my bottom lip I crushed her against me. I opened my mouth with a gasp and our kiss reached a whole new level of intensity.

She wound her fingers into my hair and gently tugged. The slight pain caused by her actions sent a thrill through my body and I felt a growl rumble deep in my throat.

Warning bells went off in my head and suddenly my mind was trying to take control of what I was doing. The side of me that I'd been trying to suppress since my reaction to Emmett came back, but this time it was stronger than the logical part of me. I didn't want to deny it. It felt good. She felt good. That was all that mattered.

The logical part of my brain said that this was dangerous, that I was dangerous. But instead of listening to that voice, I held her tightly against me with one arm as my other hand reached up and wove itself into the hair at the nape of her neck.

Bella shivered in my arms and I thrilled at the feeling.

Suddenly, Bella pushed her arms down on my shoulders. Thinking that she was trying to pull away from me, I released her hair and relaxed my grip on her. But instead of pulling away, she used her arms to raise herself up and wrap her legs around my waist.

It was at this moment that I felt how thin her bathing suit really was. I could feel every curve of her body almost as if she were naked. The thought of nakedness sent a jolt of desire through me and I felt my body start to respond in earnest. I groaned at the feeling and tried to pull away before she felt what she was doing to me.

She growled in response to my trying to pull away and tugged on my hair more forcefully. I groaned embarrassingly loud into her mouth and Bella ground down on me in response connecting with my erection and creating a friction that made me hiss. I broke away from her mouth and rested my forehead against hers, trying to get a hold of myself.

"Bella…" I gasped. "We-"

Before I was able to complete the sentence, she pushed down on me again and all thought of stopping what we were doing left my head.

The feel of her heat through her bathing suit and my thin trunks caused me to crash my mouth back onto hers growling in pleasure.

The next time that she pushed herself down on me, my mind screamed, _Don't Do It!_ a moment before my body pushed up.

Our simultaneous movements made us both groan in unison into each others mouths. I felt Bella's chest heaving against mine as she breathed raggedly and I knew that mine must be as well.

My mind was trying to take control of my body, but it was drowned out in a sea of sensations that I'd never experienced before. I didn't know what I was doing. All I knew was that I wanted her; I needed her.

I released her mouth and hungrily trailed my mouth along her jaw and down her neck.

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING OVER HERE ALL BY YOURSELVES?" Emmet said loudly, embarrassingly close.

I leaped away from Bella so quickly that she plunged into the water.

I stood for a moment stunned. My body was still humming with my need for Bella, but my brain was slowly taking control again.

Emmett chuckled and swam away heading down the beach towards the others. I could see the shapes of them as they huddled around the glow of the fire. I'd been so focused on Bella that I'd completely forgotten where I was or even who I was.

I couldn't believe what I'd done. I was struck with shame at my actions. I'd taken advantage of Bella's feelings for me. It was unacceptable to treat a woman this way. I'd never thought of myself as similar to Arthur who used and discarded women for his own need. However, at this moment I was worse than Arthur. I'd used Bella's feelings for her fiancé to my own advantage.

We stood in silence in the water. The only sound was our shallow breathing. I couldn't look at Bella because I didn't want to see her reaction. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say.

After a few more moments of silence, I muttered, "I'm sorry."

Then, not waiting for her response, I swam swiftly away.

I joined everyone around the fire, never meeting their eyes. I didn't even look up when Bella joined us.

I sat close to the flames, not listening to the conversation going on around me. Once I felt like I was sufficiently dry, I stood up and retreated to the cover of darkness.

Feelings of guilt, fear, and desire coursed through my head in quick succession.

"Edward, are you ok?" a quiet voice asked from behind me.

I slouched to the ground and leaned my back against a boulder before clutching my head in my hands.

"No," I said not knowing what else to say.

Jasper sat down next to me and for a while we sat in silence.

"There is something wrong with me," I said hollowly. "There's an animal inside of me and I have no control over it," I said, terrified when my fears were voiced.

"You're not an animal Edward," Jasper said in his quiet voice.

"What am I?" I said turning towards him.

He looked at me sympathetically, but didn't respond right away

"I abused Bella. She trusted me and I broke that trust. I'm a monster," I said, needing to explain myself.

"Bella loves you. You didn't hurt her. On the contrary, you both seem to getting a little happier each day. You're a man and she's a woman and the instinctual reactions that you are having are normal. Actually they are the best parts of being human. Maybe you are just remembering your feelings for her," he said.

I hoped that what he was telling me was true, but then I felt the throb of pain in my right arm and I rubbed it briskly.

"If I'm not a monster, how did I get these scars? Some of them are animal bites," I said.

"I don't know Edward, but that's what we're trying to find out. Do you remember anything that happened to you in the last three years?"

A memory of cold blue eyes flashed through my brain along with a name.

I looked at him and tried to decide whether I could trust him. I had no idea whether my memories were real, but I needed to voice them.

"I don't know, but I think that it involved a man named Oscar."


	15. Aftermath

**AFTERMATH**

**JACOB**

Things in the outside world were grim. While we were in our little bubble of safety, the world was in a panic. The Spanish influenza was spreading like wild fire and scientists were unable to find a treatment. It was global now with air travel spreading it to all corners of the Earth and international tensions were high as countries blamed each other for lax security. It was a mess and people were dying.

I'd left the group earlier so that I could talk to Sam. I hadn't changed in a long time, so I hadn't had the chance to check in with him and what he told me was a shock. Whole towns were quarantined either to keep the flu out or the sufferers in. Forks was one of the towns that was trying to protect itself, but there were already signs in the hospital that the flu had gotten into the town. Flu sufferers were showing up at the hospital and although there had been no deaths as of yet, Sam said that the news was saying that it was only a matter of time. The reservation had also closed its doors to outsiders and there was a strict boundary that all the Quiluette had to abide by. Sam believed that we were immune to the flu because of our healing powers, but he wasn't taking any chances so all shape shifters were also kept close to home.

I wanted to return to the reservation, but Sam ordered me to stay. He told me that there wasn't anything that I could do at the reservation. I could do more good here with the Cullens.

Frustrated, I accepted his order and changed back to my human form before returning to the camp. Things were quiet when I got there. I immediately noticed that Edward and Bella were missing.

"Where are Edward and Bella?" I asked as I joined everyone around the fire.

Jasper pointed towards the water on the far side of the beach. He was staring darkly into the fire his shoulders hunched as if he were in pain.

I looked towards the direction he was pointing but I couldn't see anything.

"What's up with him?" I said, commenting on the tension that Jasper was emitting in waves. It was a very uncomfortable feeling and I felt my shoulders hunching too.

"Bella and Edward are getting him all riled up," she said and giggled.

Jasper shuddered and then growled deep in his throat.

I looked back towards the darkness and then at Alice's smirk and understood. I had a twinge of jealousy, but I pushed it away. They both deserved to be happy.

Then, I looked at Jasper again and grinned.

"Hmmm, that must really suck," I said referring to Jasper's power to feel other people's emotions.

He merely nodded.

"Come on Jazzy, Edward has had to deal with all of us for the last 80 years. We can't begrudge him this. Imagine what it must have been like for him to read our thoughts. I'm sure there are lots of things he wished that he'd not had a visual of."

I cringed at the mention of it. I couldn't imagine having a visual image of everyone's dirty thoughts. Then I thought about some of the thoughts that I'd had of Bella which in turn made me grin.

Yeah, _that_ must have really sucked.

"Well, I think we've given them long enough," Emmett chuckled and stalked quietly towards the water.

We all sat silently in expectation for Emmett to surprise them.

"WHATCHA GUYS DOING OVER HERE ALL BY YOURSELVES?"

There was a splash and startled gasps which caused us all to snicker under our breath.

However, our humor died as Edward stumbled towards the fire.

"Hey Edward, do you want something to eat. I'm going to roast some hot dogs," I said, not wanting him to feel any more uncomfortable than I'm sure he already did at being caught.

However, he didn't respond. I looked at him more closely and I started to feel alarmed. The look on Edward's face could only be described as shame.

I looked towards Jasper in concern, but his focus was on Edward.

After a few more moments, Bella joined us by the fire. As she sat down next to me, I took her hand.

"What's wrong?" I said, trying to meet her eyes.

She would not look at me, but she clenched my hand hard.

"Bella, what's going on?" I murmured.

It was at this moment that Edward stood up abruptly and left the fire. After a moment, Jasper stood up and followed silently.

I turned back to Bella.

"Bella, please look at me. Are you ok?" I said in concern.

_How had things gone wrong so quickly?_

"I don't know," she said tearfully. "I was so happy just a few minutes ago. It felt like Edward and I were finally going to have our time to be a happy couple. Then, suddenly Edward is throwing me away and apologizing. I don't understand. What's wrong with me? Why can't I just have this? Why can't I just have him?"

Not knowing what to say to her, I put my arm around her shoulder and looked across the fire at Alice. Without saying a word, Alice stood up and came around the fire to sit next to Bella, pulling her into a hug.

BELLA

_What's going on?_

That was the only thought in my head as soon as I got over the shock of being suddenly submerged in freezing cold water.

One moment I was in the middle of one of my fantasies come to life and the next minute I literally had cold water thrown on me.

I hadn't expected anything to happen when I swam towards him. When Jake had decided that he'd had enough swimming, he left me in the water to go talk to Sam. He told me that he'd not checked in with him in a while. J

Jake had not left our side since we'd called him which was several weeks ago. He'd dropped everything to help us and never once said that he had to get back to his own life. A surge of love flowed through me. I was so happy to have him here.

When he left, I swam towards Edward. Being with him had become so natural. I was even starting to feel like Edward was returning to me. Yes, he was different, but he was still Edward. The sexual tension that had always existed between us was back and increasing daily. And this time it felt like it was equal between us. Whenever I came close to him, I could feel his body tense in response. I would also catch heated looks from him in unguarded moments that would ignite a fire deep inside.

However, in a matter of only a few minutes, things had changed so quickly that I was still in shock. When Edward grabbed me, I automatically wrapped my arms around him. However, I was stunned when he kissed me in response.

It was so unexpected that my body went into overdrive. It felt just as it had the first time Edward had kissed me years ago. It felt like my blood was boiling under my skin and I immediately clutched him tight to me anchoring his mouth to mine.

Usually this kind of action would cause Edward to tense and pull away. However, rather than pulling away from me Edward pulled me closer. His actions spurred me on and I couldn't resist licking his lip an action that had been forbidden before. Instead of what I'd expected, Edward pulled me hard against his body and opened his mouth to deepen our kiss. The taste of him was indescribable and I couldn't resist winding my fingers in his hair in pleasure as our tongues touched for the first time. Our kiss took on a frenzied quality that made me unable to think coherently. It just felt so good and right and perfect. I tugged his hair unable to stop myself as a flood of sensation poured through me that I'd never experienced before. I was unprepared for Edward's reaction. A low growl rumbled in his chest and my heart leaped and stuttered. It was the most erotic sound that I'd ever heard. It was so thrilling and new that Edward was just as out of control as I was. This was not the Edward who'd often made me feel like I was the only one affected by our caresses. This Edward was caught up in the moment and he was letting his walls down and the animal out. When his hand wound in my hair, I shivered in his arms and couldn't resist lifting myself up to wrap my legs around him. I needed to feel him against me. That was the only thought in my head. When he groaned and tried to pull away, desperation surged in me. I couldn't let him go, not now. I growled in frustration and gripped him more tightly willing him to stay. His groan at my actions caused me to push myself against him automatically and in direct contact with his erection. In all my time with Edward, I'd never noticed or Edward had never allowed me to notice that his body was just as responsive to mine as mine was to his.

From far away, I heard Edward speaking to me, but my body was speaking more loudly. I pressed my heels into his back and rubbed myself against him from a need that defied all reason.

My head rocked back as Edward's lips connected forcefully with mine again.

The next time I pushed down on him my whole body surged with pleasure as his body pushed up against mine at the same time. My body was wracked with shudders like waves crashing over me. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I needed him. I wanted him. Nothing else mattered. I felt his heart pounding against mine as we clutched each other close both caught up in the pleasure that our bodies were creating for each other.

When I couldn't breathe anymore, Edward released my mouth and started a slow descent down my jaw to my neck and lower.

So, when I was suddenly submerged in freezing cold water and I couldn't breathe as water flooded my face. I was in a state of shock as my body continued to throb with need.

When I crested the water, my eyes were blurry and my hearing blocked as my hair was plastered over my ears.

By the time, I could see and hear clearly I saw that Edward stood a few feet away from me and behind him was the retreating form of Emmett.

Suddenly, I understood and I shifted my eyes back to Edward ready to complain about his annoying brother. However, my words stuck in my throat at the look of disgust on his face.

I flinched away from the look and I dropped my eyes. I was still trying to catch my breath from the most wonderful and pretty well only sexual experience of my life and now I felt shame wash over me.

The look on Edward's face made me realize that I'd pushed Edward to do things that he didn't want to do. It wasn't his fault that his body reacted to mine. It was instinct. That didn't mean that he'd wanted to do that with me.

However, the words out of his mouth before he took off for the shore confused me.

He muttered, "I'm sorry" and then swam away from me.

Why was he apologizing? I was the one who threw myself at him before he was able to think things through.

I stumbled out of the water and to the edge of the fire. However, after a moment he ran away from me again with Jasper following behind.

I leaned into Jacob, not talking. When Alice wrapped her arm around me as well, I couldn't hold back any longer. I crumbled against her and sobbed.

Some time later, Jasper returned and sat down next to Alice.

"Where's Edward?" I asked, looking behind him.

"He needed some time alone, so he went to bed," Jasper said, but he didn't look at me. He'd locked eyes with Alice and something seemed to pass between them because she unwrapped her arm from my shoulders and leaned forward quickly.

"What did he tell you?" she asked.

"He told me what little he remembers from his missing time. It isn't much, but he says that he gets flashes of specific events that don't make any sense to him."

Everyone sat forward in anticipation of what he would tell us.

"His clearest memory is of being in a room with two men. One man is Native American and the other is white. The white man had black hair and blue eyes and seemed to be the leader of the two."

I felt Jake tense next to me.

"Does he remember either of their names?" he said.

"He thinks that the leader's name was Oscar," Jasper said.

A gasp escaped my lips as I turned to Jacob.

"Oscar… did you say Oscar? It can't be him… " Jacob said, shaking his head.

Everyone's attention immediately focused on Jake.

"You know him? How do you know him?" Emmett said immediately on the defensive.

Jake looked at me and then hunched his shoulders.

He told them the story of his sister's death and Paul's subsequent departure and everyone sat silently for a moment before Emmett exploded.

"How could you not tell us this? How could you not tell us that they were hunting us?" he growled angrily.

"He didn't show up until Rachel was killed and that was over a year after you all left! You can't put this on me!" he shouted, jumping to his feet.

"There is more," Jasper said calmly.

Everyone fell silent, but the tension was still very present.

"He says that they were experimenting on him, injecting him with something. He says that they barely acknowledged his presence and often referred to him as 'It.' He remembers that Oscar commented on the fact that his skin was not as impenetrable as before."

No one spoke. Like me, I assumed that everyone was in shock by this revelation.

"I can't believe this. I can't believe that Paul was apart of this. It doesn't make any sense," Jacob said in disbelief.

"Well believe it mutt! You're kind has always had it in for us. You were just waiting for one of us to make a mistake, so that you had an excuse to try to kill us all," Emmett snarled.

"You better think about what you are saying bloodsucker. One of yours killed my sister. You're lucky that we didn't try to exterminate all of you! Our home was not a violent place until you came along," he snarled back.

I couldn't believe what was happening. Everything was exploding around me and I was still trying to process what was going on.

I could see Jake's whole body shaking and I knew that he was close to changing. However, rather than being frightened I was angry. Our priority should be Edward, not this.

I stood up and walked in between Jake and Emmett. I barely reached both of their chests, but I wasn't afraid of them.

"This isn't helping," I said forcefully.

"Jake, Emmett calm down. You are both just making all of this worse. Jake… Jake!" I reached up and grabbed his chin trying to force him to look down at me.

I took a moment before Jake registered my presence, but when he did he started to relax a little.

Once I saw that he wasn't in any danger of changing, I turned my attention back to Jasper.

"Is there more?' I said.

"He says that he has a memory of being in a forest. He says that all he can see are trees but he can hear snarling coming from all around him."

Everyone's eyes returned to Jake. He looked shocked.

"Jake, do you know anything about this? I said, taking a step back from him.

"Bella, how can you ask me that? Of course we didn't have anything to do with it. I was with you the whole time and I have done nothing but try to help you since you found out about Edward. Why would I do that if me or any or my pack were involved in Edward's disappearance?"

I felt ashamed.

"I'm sorry Jake. Of course you had nothing to do with it. I'm just trying to understand what this information means. It doesn't make any sense."

"The question is why did Edward let them take him? Even if it had been a pack of werewolves, Edward was strong enough that he could have put up a fight. But there was very little evidence of that. It would have been against every instinct that Edward had to leave Bella. And if Oscar only appeared a year and a half ago where was Edward all that time?" Rosalie said, speaking for the first time.

No one spoke because there were no answers.

"The only reason that it could be is that they threatened Bella. Edward would not have surrendered for anything less than that," Jasper said thoughtfully.

My heart clenched at the thought that Edward had allowed himself to be taken because of me.

Alice then spoke. "I have a feeling that I know why I can't see Edward in my visions. It all makes sense now," she said, looking at Jacob.

I looked at Jake in confusion only to see all the blood drain from his face.

"That's impossible…" he said.

"What? What's impossible?" I asked in frustration, looking back and forth between them.

Getting no answers, I looked to Jasper who was staring at me with an unfathomable expression in his eyes.

"Bella, there is only one creature that Alice can't see in her visions."

Realization started to come to me and I looked back at Jacob.

"Jake? It can't be true, right? There have been plenty of werewolf-vampire fights. If it were possible, you would have heard about it. Plus, he hasn't turned into a werewolf. He's human," I said.

"I don't know Bella. Maybe Oscar figured something out. He did have a background in biochemistry," he said reluctantly.

I looked around at all of them, but I saw no answers.

"We have to contact Carlisle with this," Jasper said, standing up. "He might be able to come up with some answers now that we have some of the facts," he said.

He looked at Alice and then took her hand.

"We need to get into cell range."

And before anyone could speak they disappeared into the forest.

"I need to talk to Sam. Maybe the elders know something about this," Jake said as he strode towards the trees.

That left Rosalie, Emmett and I.

"I need to hunt," Emmett said pulling on Rosalie's hand. "I need to kill something before I tear the whole campsite apart."

Rosalie turned to look at me.

"Will you be all right?"

I nodded, too overwhelmed to speak.

And then I was alone.

I stood for a long time looking into the flames my mind empty of all thoughts. All that was in my head was fear. I was more scared than I had ever been.

Without consciously making the decision, I found myself walking towards the tents and into Edward and Jake's.

He was asleep on his back and didn't stir even when I unzipped the tent. I crawled over next to him and in the moonlight I just stared at him. I watched as his chest expanded with each breath a sign that he was just as human as I was.

Wasn't he?

I reached out and gently placed my hand on his chest over his heart. It beat a steady rhythm against my palm and its comforting sound soothed me. He was real. He was alive and that is all that should matter.

I curled onto my side next to him and replaced my hand with my head. I pressed my ear against his chest and let the steady thud of his heart convince me that I had nothing to worry about.

Beyond a soft groan in his sleep, Edward didn't stir. I didn't want to wake him up. I didn't want to lose this moment. However, I needed to feel close to him. I needed to know that he was real. I turned my face into his chest and breathed in his scent. He smelled like Irish Spring soap and man. It was a very comforting and human smell.

I felt him stir more as I wrapped my arm around him to stop the inevitable loss of him. When his breathing changed, I knew he was awake and would roll away from me. I started to shake as sadness washed over me and I couldn't stop a sob from escaping my lips. I pressed my face back into his chest and tried to convince myself that everything would be ok, but the shaking just got worse. After a few moments, Edward pulled his arm out from under me only to put it around my shoulders and pull me against him. Great wracking sobs tore through my chest as I felt a hand start to run through my hair soothingly.

Edward in turn pressed his face against my hair and whispered, "Shhh… it'll be alright… don't cry… it'll be alright…"

I clutched him as hard as I could, but didn't respond. After a while, Edward began humming. At the sound of my lullaby, I felt a loosening in my chest as the melody unfolded. Despite my efforts to fight the exhaustion that was overpowering me, I dropped into a deep sleep.

I awoke in the early morning hours to being overheated. I tried to sit up in order to throw off the blankets that I was wrapped up in but I soon realized that it was another person that I was entangled with.

I sat up gingerly and moved Edward's arm off my body. I stared down at him and tried to memorize every feature.

His face was relaxed in sleep. His lips parted as he breathed deeply and under his eyelids his eyes moved back and forth.

_What was he dreaming about?_ I thought with a smile.

But then I saw his arm resting across his chest covered in scars that he'd received because of me and I reached out and allowed only my fingertips to trace each one of them.

Edward stirred in his sleep and rolled onto his side towards me. I smiled as I saw that he had been sweating like me and his hair on one side of his head was plastered to his skin while the other stuck out in different directions. Unable to stop myself, I reached out and brushed his damp hair off his forehead. He mumbled something in his sleep and then a smile turned up the corner of his mouth in his crooked smile.

Knowing that I was making a mistake but not caring, I reached out and traced his lips gently with my fingertips. Then carefully very carefully I leaned down and rested my lips against his cheek. I softly kissed along his cheekbone before pressing my lips to his. I felt his lips firm under mine and then I felt his hand gently glide up my arm before reaching the side of my face before pulling away from me.

"Bella-" he whispered.

"Please don't leave me," I said closing my eyes and kissing him again.

He broke our kiss again and said, "Bella, please look at me."

I kept my eyes closed for a moment before opening them and staring into his eyes which were uncertain.

"Bella, I'm not him. I'm not who you want…" he said gently, "I just look at him."

"Please Edward. Please don't ever leave me. I need you. You are the man I want. I know that you can feel it to."

His hand brushed my hair away from my face and he looked at me seriously.

"Yes, I do feel it. But Bella, I don't know whether anything is real," he said sadly.

"This is real. It doesn't matter what craziness exists beyond us. None of it will touch us as long as we stay together. We need each other," I said, trying to put all of my feelings into words but they seemed inadequate.

I reached out and traced his cheekbone smiling at the sight of his brilliant green eyes staring at me with a very Edward-like look on my face. He often would look at me with the exact same guarded expression when he wasn't certain about what I would do next.

Hope filled my heart as he reached up and traced my smiling lips with his thumb and then cupped the back of my head as he pulled my mouth to his.


	16. A Change is Gonna Come

**A/N: Hey everyone! I hope that you are enjoying my story. Please review and tell me what you think!**

**A CHANGE IS GONNA COME**

**JACOB**

I just couldn't understand it. How could they be so happy when everything around them was going insane?

I watched as Edward chased a screaming Bella down the beach. She weaved left and then right trying to shake him, but he tackled her and threw her over his shoulder before dashing towards the water and jumping in.

It just didn't make sense. Bella knew some of what was going on. But, when I tried to explain in detail what Carlisle believed was happening to Edward, she held up her hand and said that she didn't want to know anymore. She said that she just wanted to enjoy being with him and that was all that mattered to her. I tried arguing with her, but she wouldn't listen and eventually Rosalie interrupted and told me to leave her alone. I understood why Bella was doing it. She didn't want to waste any time with him, but she couldn't just stick her head in the sand; things were happening and pretending they weren't wouldn't make them go away.

After Edward had revealed to Jasper that he'd been held by Oscar and Paul, I contacted Sam while Jasper contacted Carlisle.

Sam told me what he knew about Oscar, but it wasn't much. He was a nomad, never staying in one place for very long. No one knew where he came from originally. However, Sam did know that before Oscar had been bitten he'd been studying Pre-Med.

The elders of the tribe were also able to provide information about werewolves based on their previous encounters with them. "Real" werewolves were quite different from shape shifters. Werewolves, like Oscar, were 'infected' from the bite of another werewolf, while we were only wolves because our ancestors chose the form of the wolf to protect the tribe. Unlike shape shifters, werewolves were more like the ones from horror movies—only able to change during the full moon and often quite feral.

I relayed this information to Jasper who then got Carlisle in direct contact with Sam.

Together, they came up with a theory that made my blood chill in my veins.

A vampire's venom kills, but the saliva of a werewolf changes an individual and gives them the ability to regenerate. They are at the opposite ends of the spectrum of "infections." Carlisle also thought it could be possible that because of their opposite effects they found a balance in Edward that suppressed the effects of each, allowing his human DNA to regenerate.

At first, this sounded like a miracle. However, Carlisle then went on to explain that unlike shape shifters, werewolves' changes were cyclical, so the infection fluctuated in strength. A werewolf's body was able to suppress the "infection" most of the time, but with the phases of the moon somehow the infection would grow in strength. For this reason, he didn't think that the perfect balance existing inside Edward could last.

I looked sadly at Bella and Edward playing in the water.

Maybe Bella was right. She needed to enjoy her time with Edward and cherish every moment with him.

The next full moon was in two weeks.

**

* * *

**

**EDWARD**

"_Do not follow in your friend Arthur's footsteps Edward. He has ruined his own reputation and that of many young ladies. He's destroyed his future prospects by falling into the company of other young men who see nothing wrong with going to those bawdy houses. And now, look where it has taken him!"_

Arthur had been courting a young woman named Elizabeth from a well-respected family in the neighborhood. They'd proceeded through their courtship smoothly - a perfect couple in everyone's eyes. I'd told him that he was behaving badly by going out to pubs and meeting up with "fast" women in the evenings, but he wouldn't listen.

Even though I'd been disgusted by his behavior, he was my oldest friend, so I tolerated it at first. However, once they'd become engaged I found myself unable to ignore his behavior any longer. He was not only risking his own reputation, but also that of Elizabeth. Arthur had told me that her parents had allowed them to have un-chaperoned visits. He seemed to like her and was looking forward to their marriage. I was confused ;how could he care about her, but at the same time not consider her reputation in the whole affair?

When Arthur's 'night life' was discovered, it was a major scandal. Elizabeth went into seclusion and Arthur was treated as an outcast.

I, in turn, was considered "guilty by association" by my father and had to listen to hours of lectures on the topic of courtship and marriage.

"_Women are to be respected Edward. They are to be cherished not treated as objects. Sex is for procreation as decreed by God. It should be saved for the marriage bed with the woman who will bear your children. Arthur's treatment of Elizabeth is reprehensible. How will she find another suitor now?"_

From talking to Arthur, I knew that his un-chaperoned visits with Elizabeth had been quite innocent beyond a chaste kiss. However, the fact was that a woman's virtue was considered precious by both God and society.

How then could I explain the feelings and desires that I had for Bella? I should have been consumed by guilt about what I'd done to her a few nights ago in the water and I _was_ ashamed, but another part of me wanted nothing more than to grab her and do it all over again. If sex was just for procreation, why did I want her so badly?

The logical part of my brain told me to be ashamed. I was worse than Arthur because I'd done considerably more with Bella than Arthur had with Elizabeth. However, the minute I'd consider distancing myself from her, a pain would shoot through my chest and I'd find it hard to breathe.

After pleading with me to never leave, I'd been unable to stop myself from promising Bella that I would stay with her. Instead, I'd comforted myself by saying that I would never allow what had happened in the water that night to happen again because Bella and I were not married. I didn't even know that we could call what we were doing now "courting."

I asked Bella about what we'd been like during our courtship and what she told me was extremely confusing.

It was unlike anything that I'd ever heard of. We'd spent most of our time alone, even to the extent that I'd frequently taken her to a secret place in the woods that only I'd known about. She'd said that I'd even sneak in her room at night and read or sing her to sleep.

All I wanted to do was to be with her. I woke up excited to see her and I was finding it harder and harder to leave her at the end of the night. If my feelings had been anything like this when we were engaged, I was starting to see how I would have defied her father by sneaking into her room at night just to be close to her.

So, I told myself that I was courting Bella and that we were going to start fresh as if we had just become engaged. I could still be a gentleman, and beyond a kiss here and there I would not allow myself to take it any further.

"What are you thinking about?" Bella said, breaking into my thoughts as she looked at me over the top of her book.

"You," I said with a grin.

She blushed a beautiful shade of pink, causing me to reach out and caressed her cheek.

"Good things I hope," she said with a smile.

"Oh yes… very good," I said with a slow smile and a wink.

_A little flirting was still gentlemanly wasn't it? _

Bella turned a deeper shade of red, but quickly leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips. She rested her lips there for a moment before I felt them turn up in a smile as freezing cold water poured down my neck.

I gasped in shock and then jumped to my feet to chase Bella who was already running away from me screaming.

I dashed after her as she tried to get away feinting left and then right. I threw myself at her and wrapped both arms around her. She was so light that it was nothing at all to throw her over my shoulder and jump into the water.

_Was this still gentlemanly?_ I ignored that thought.

After splashing around for a while, I felt eyes on me. I looked up and saw that Jacob was staring intently at us. The look in his eyes was one of deep sadness, but he quickly looked away.

I wasn't stupid. I knew that the tension around camp was related to what I'd told Jasper, but I didn't want to think about it until I had to. I didn't want to acknowledge that my memories of Oscar were real.

I watched tensely the retreating forms of Jacob and the Cullens and as soon as they were out of sight I sighed in relief, glad we were once again alone.

I used to play hide and go seek as a child with the other children at school. Therefore, when Bella suggested playing it on a cool afternoon, I'd scoffed at first. It was a child's game, but Bella convinced me by saying that she bet I wouldn't be able to find her.

I'd given Bella a 1 minute head start in order to make it fair.

While I waited, I closed my eyes and listened to her footsteps as they snapped twigs and grass as she made her escape.

``5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Ready or not! Here I come!" I shouted and then I was off.

I ran in the direction that I'd heard her retreating to, but when I reached the edge of the trees I paused and just listened. It was quiet, except for the birds in the trees and the sound of the water lapping on the beach. I couldn't hear any movement, so Bella was either not nearby or she was very good at keeping still.

I crouched low to the ground and moved quickly but carefully into the forest. I paid close attention to the ground underfoot so that I wouldn't make any unnecessary noise. I continued this way for some time, circumventing the dense underbrush and looking for hiding places, but I couldn't find her.

_Wow… she's good…_ I thought.

I walked quietly for another ten minutes, but she was still hidden from me.

Eventually I paused, closed my eyes, and tried to listen again for any noise. I took in a deep breath and released it slowly, focusing all of my senses.

Then, I heard the snap of a twig to my left and I was off again. I ran full out in the direction of the sound, but again I couldn't find her. I spun around in a circle thinking that maybe I'd just misjudged the location of the noise, but when I looked down at the ground I found on top of a rock the letters E & B written in twigs.

_She's been here. _

With a laugh, I took off running again towards a wooded area that seemed the most likely area of escape.

My heart started pounding and I began to breathe harder as excitement started to build in me. Suddenly, it felt like all of my senses were heightened. The colors of the trees seemed brighter and the smells of the forest became almost pungent. I breathed deeply again and tried to refocus my hearing, and then I heard it - she had to be nearby because I could hear her breathing. Confident of her location, I slowed down and crept closer, wanting to surprise her. I saw ahead a break in the trees from where a huge oak tree had fallen down. As I approached the moss covered trunk, I knew that she was behind it. Every sense in my body was tingling and I swear that I could even hear her heart beating. I made my approach silently and when I was almost upon her I launched myself over the tree and landed in a crouch in front of her. She screamed in surprise, but before she could bolt I lunged for her, pulling her towards me.

Giggling, she squirmed in my arms, trying to get away, but I wasn't about to let her escape. She felt so warm and alive in my arms. I pulled her flush up against my body and crashed my mouth onto hers. Kissing Bella was unlike any experience that I'd ever had in my life; it was intoxicating.

Bella pulled her mouth away from mine gasping in surprise, but quickly recovered. She returned my kiss with a passion that overwhelmed my reason. She pushed me back hard, carrying us both to the ground, me on my back with her on top. She attacked my mouth again before descending my neck with biting kisses. I growled and pulled her face back up to mine and kissed her hard, before flipping us both over and pressing her to the ground with a grin. I found her lips again and then kissed my way down her neck. It was almost as if I could feel her blood pounding under my lips. I glided my lips along the column and then along her collar bone inhaling her delicious scent. I shuddered as a feeling of possessiveness flooded me.

_Mine. _

I nibbled on the tender flesh in the crook of her neck and gently licked the skin there.

"Edward…" she moaned, and that was what snapped me out of it. I threw myself off of her and fell onto my back panting as I tried to get control of myself.

"Oh God," I moaned.

We both lay silently as we tried to catch our breath.

I stared up at the canopy of trees overhead and again wondered about what kind of animal I was.

Then, I felt Bella lift my arm off my chest and burrow under it, so that she was pressed against my side. She began to rub my chest soothingly, but I was still stiff with tension. I was afraid to move or speak for fear that the animal would come back.

We stayed that way for a while, not speaking until she broke the silence.

"I love you," she said softly.

I whipped my head towards her and spoke with fear, "Please don't."

The look of pain in her eyes was almost too much to bear.

"How can you say that? How can you say that to me?" she asked, hurt.

"Bella, I don't want you to love me. I'm dangerous. You should stay away from me. We've been ignoring what's been going on around us for the last few days, but we both know that something bad is happening. I know that Jasper told you about what I remember from "before." Whatever they did to me has changed me; I'm not the same man that I was. You would be safer if you kept your distance."

"NO," she said vehemently, sitting up. "I will not go through losing you again. We're not better off apart. It nearly killed me when I lost you, and now that you are here I'm going to fight for you. We're meant to be together. I will not let you push me away out of fear!"

"Bella, I'm not being irrational. I'm not normal. I should have more control, but whenever I'm close to you like this I lose myself and something else takes over. You've become more important to me than anything and I would never forgive myself if I hurt you in any way. It's bad enough that I'm hurting you by just being with you in this way. This isn't proper. I'm not treating you in the way that you should be treated."

The frown on her face was replaced by a sly grin.

"I wasn't complaining if you hadn't noticed," she leaned in and pecked me on the lips.

I pulled my head away.

"Bella, you know what I mean," I sighed in frustration.

"Edward, I love you. I know you don't want to hear it, but I do. I also know you. You do not trust yourself very much, but you're a good man. You have more control than you give yourself credit for. Actually, I always felt like you were much more in control than I ever was. In fact, it's really nice to know that you're just as overwhelmed as I am when we're close like this," she leaned her head down over me again and kissed my lips gently before nuzzling into my neck.

My breathing became shallower and my skin broke out in goose pimples at her touch.

"Bella…" I said in a shaky voice, trying to sound reasonable.

"We just need to practice…" she murmured and sucked on the skin just under my jaw.

"Oh God…" I said as a shudder went through my body.

I reached up and cupped her face with the intention of moving it away from mine, but instead I somehow found myself doing the opposite. Instinctually, I pulled her face up to mine and captured her lips.

I woke up to the sound of a loon's haunting call just after sunrise. In the dim morning light, I looked down at Bella. Her hair was in wild disarray and her face was slack in sleep. I smiled at how vulnerable it made her look - so vulnerable and yet so perfect. I'd never imagined how wonderful it would be to wake up with someone. I'd certainly never wanted to get married because I'd thought it was nothing more than a responsibility. However, now I saw it as a world of new possibilities.

_This is the woman that I'm going to marry… _I smiled at the thought.

As I stared at her, I fought the urge to kiss her awake. It was a constant battle inside of me to control the desire that I had for her. She was just so beautiful.

I looked around in disbelief; here I was in her tent, after spending the night with her. When she'd asked me to come to her tent and sing her to sleep, my will had crumbled at the soft smile on her face. I knew that it was crossing a line, but I just couldn't say no. I didn't want to be away from her, so I let go of my sense of propriety.

I felt her start to stir and then her beautiful brown eyes opened and looked into mine.

"Good morning," I said huskily and pulled her hand to my lips.

She smiled at me, "Did you sleep well?"

I shook my head.

It had been the best night sleep of my life even if sleep was not the biggest part of it. I'd been too conscious of Bella next to me and I knew that she'd felt the same way. Throughout the night, we'd moved together always touching. When one of us turned, the other followed.

"You?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow

She laughed, and it took my breath away.

"God, you're beautiful."

She smiled back. "You too."

I lunged at her and pulled her towards me, "_And_ you smell absolutely wonderful."

She shrieked in surprise and then laughed happily as she fell towards me.

It was a few days later that I started getting sick. Just like before, it began with my hand as a dull ache that flared cold and then hot. However, this time it didn't stop there and continued to work its way through the rest of my body. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want them to worry, but Bella could tell that something was wrong. She never asked me, but I could feel her questioning eyes on me.

My head had also begun to throb this morning and by lunch time I was finding it hard to concentrate as the others talked around me. I guzzled water as I felt my temperature fluctuate; one minute I was freezing and the next I was sweating freely.

I wasn't really worried because I knew it wouldn't last long. I rarely got sick and whenever I did I recovered quickly, so I just had to wait it out.

"Edward, are you doing ok? You look a little grey, man," Emmett's said.

I looked up at him and shrugged. "I've got a bit of a headache that's all."

"Do you want some Tylenol?" Bella asked, reaching out to feel my forehead.

I tried to pull away before she could touch me, but she was too fast.

"Edward," she gasped. "You're burning up! How long have you been sick?"

"I'm fine, Bella," I said reassuringly. "I just have a bit of a cold."

There was a tense silence around the fire.

I looked up at all the worried faces and sighed in exasperation. "I'm fine. It's just a cold. It'll be gone soon. I bounce back quickly."

The tension in the air didn't lessen.

"Have you had any other symptoms besides the headache and fever?" Alice asked, moving to sit next to me.

I decided to be honest. "Well, my hand's hurting a little more today than it has for a while, but that's probably just a part of the fever."

They all looked at my hand and I self-consciously crossed my arms across my chest hiding it from view.

"What's the big deal? I hurt it when I escaped from the hospital. It just hasn't quite healed yet." I said defensively.

"I'd thought you'd broken it. I completely forgot about that…" Jacob said, a look of shock appearing on his face.

"I think we're going to have to leave here soon," Alice interrupted us and changed the subject. "In the next few days, we need to meet up with Carlisle and Esme. They want us to meet them in Seattle, so that we can figure out our next step."

I felt my heart sink. I'd always known that we couldn't stay here forever, but I dreaded leaving. I looked at Bella out of the corner of my eye and saw a look of fear on her face as well.


	17. The Calm Before the Storm

**The Calm Before the Storm**

**SAM**

"I don't have a damn clue where to start looking for him. It's not as if I made any attempt to get to know the crazy bastard," I hissed at Billy, trying not to wake Charlie who slept restlessly on his couch.

Ever since talking to Carlisle, I'd been on the hunt for Oscar. I'd even sent the pack (against my better judgment) out to search for him. I didn't know for sure that they'd be immune to the illness, but Edward's reappearance and the simultaneous outbreak of the flu were too much of a coincidence for any of us to ignore. That meant that we needed to find Oscar and Paul immediately since it was clear that they were involved. It was the only chance we had of finding a cure before the illness killed any more of my tribe.

I looked across the room at Emily and my heart clenched in fear.

_What if she got sick?_

_If I found Oscar and Paul, I could stop this, right?_

At the thought of Paul, another ache formed in my chest.

_How could he be involved in this?_

_How could he put the lives of Rachel's family, or any of us at risk?_

_Had I really let him down that badly that he saw no other path?_

I'd been feeling a lot of guilt over Paul ever since he left with Oscar. I remembered back to when Rachel was killed – he had been more or less like a zombie. Even when we shifted, it was as if there was a black hole in our consciousness that used to be Paul. But when Oscar arrived, he started to slowly change.

I should have trusted my gut instinct and never allowed him to hunt with Oscar. From the start I'd known there was something off about the man. Putting aside the fact that he was a dangerous werewolf, and a threat to my tribe, there was something just slightly off center about him. He said all the right things, but there was just something about him that made me stay on the defensive whenever he was in the room. He smiled all the time, but his smile was always just a little too wide and he would often laugh at the wrong things.

Not long after he arrived, he started opening up - it was then that I realized I was right in my assessment of him. When he brought up bloodsuckers for the first time, he'd asked us incredibly disturbing questions. He'd asked us how long we thought that a vampire could survive when they were taken apart piece by piece. He also asked us what we thought would happen to a vampire if he bit it over and over again One bite turned him into a werewolf, what would it do to a vampire?

Everyone in the pack had been shocked by the questions, but Paul acted as if he'd not even heard what he'd said. Then one day, close to the full moon, Paul surprised us all by asking to go along on Oscar's "hunting" trip.

I wanted Oscar gone, especially if he was due to phase. The elders had told me that the phasing of a "real" werewolf was bloody and violent. Oscar had also told us that when he phased he maintained very little of his human mind. These kinds of werewolves really were like those that we'd all heard about in horror movies.

So, when Paul asked to go, I was unhappy to say the least. Unfortunately, Paul had his mind set, and while I considered commanding him to stay, I couldn't bring myself to put any restrictions on him after he'd been through so much already. So, I let him go hoping that it might shock him back to reality.

I was unprepared for the repercussions of that decision. When they came back, Paul's mind was no longer a black hole, but full of blood and hatred. I could barely bring myself to shift because I would be flooded with images of the fury he'd felt as they'd cornered and ripped apart a vampire that they'd found hunting in downtown Seattle. In Paul's mind, the woman that fell in a heap at the bloodsucker's feet was Rachel. Paul's thoughts were especially torturous for Jacob who stopped shifting altogether because he couldn't handle seeing his sister die over and over again.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and returned to the problem at hand - the past was the past. The future however, I still had some control over.

It was then that I realized Billy was talking to me. "Besides Paul, Seth is the only one that had anything to do with him. Unfortunately, Seth said that the only real conversation he ever had with Oscar was about imprinting. According to him, Oscar didn't believe that imprinting really existed. He said that he'd been married for three years before being bitten and he'd never experienced that kind of bond with his wife after the attack, even though she'd been the love of his life. Then, when Seth asked him more about his wife, he became extremely angry, so he quickly changed the topic."

I looked over at Emily. She was still sitting at the kitchen table, close enough to see me, but also able to tend to Charlie if he needed anything. Whenever I thought about the imprinting instinct, my eyes would automatically go to the scars on her cheek. It was the tragic irony that was the center of my life. I would gladly sacrifice myself to keep her safe because she was my whole world. Yet the biggest danger in her life was me.

Then a thought occurred to me.

"Maybe that's where we should begin," I commented, looking towards Billy. "We know that Oscar was married for three years before being bitten and that he's been a werewolf for about seven years. So, we should focus on his wife. Without knowing what was happening, he might have hurt her without meaning to," I replied thoughtfully.

However, I sighed in frustration and started pacing the kitchen again when I realized that what I was planning on looking for was extremely specific. We weren't even sure where Oscar came from. I started pacing faster and faster as I fought against the anger again. I hated feeling so helpless and weak.

My people were getting sick and I couldn't do anything about it. At first, I'd thought that I'd closed down the reservation fast enough to stop the flu from getting in, but after a few days of quiet it started to appear. It started with a cough and escalated from there. We'd already lost a couple of our young people, and I was starting to see the symptoms in their families.

I looked over at Emily again. I didn't know what I would do if I lost her. I was supposed to be the protector of the tribe … the protector of her. It was my duty, and yet here I stood helpless to save any of them. Everything hinged on finding a crazed werewolf that excelled at the hunt and relished in pain.

It was at this moment that Quil came through the door stomping loudly in frustration.

Slumping into one of the kitchen table chairs, he let out a loud groan. "I didn't find anything. The bastards are in the wind!"

I saw Charlie jerk in his sleep, and Emily was immediately on her feet. He had finally fallen into a restless sleep this afternoon, and none of us wanted to disturb him. Sadly, Charlie had been a mess since Bella's disappearance. He couldn't eat or sleep and had as of late become a zombie just like Paul had been. Billy was really worried about him and also guilt-ridden because he knew where she was, but couldn't share that knowledge. She was so close by, but still Billy couldn't risk telling him.

I grabbed Quil by the shoulder and growled, "Be quiet!"

He looked up at me in surprise and I jerked my head towards the living room where Charlie had slipped back to sleep.

Quil looked up at me with chagrin. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking," he muttered.

I felt bad about snapping at him. It wasn't his fault. We were all feeling the frustration.

"It's okay. We're all on edge…but I have a job for you that might keep your mind off things. I want you to get on the computer and start looking for crimes that have occurred some time in the past seven years which involve a woman being mauled by an animal and her husband's disappearance. The attack could have occurred in their own home… It's a needle in a haystack, but it's the best that I can come up with," I stated, tiredly.

Quil was immediately on his feet and heading towards the door. Billy didn't have a computer, so he had to go to his house.

Once he'd left, Billy patted my arm and wheeled into the living room to replace Emily.

As I saw her walking towards me, I sighed in relief. I opened my arms and she stepped into them, offering me the comfort she knew that I needed.

I let my mantle of alpha slip from my shoulders and became Sam again. The exhaustion of the last few days settled back on me as Emily pulled me towards the spare bedroom. Settling back against the headboard, she pulled me down next to her. Laying my head on her lap, I wrapped my arm around her hips and let my body sink into the bed. I felt sleep start to take me the minute Emily began to run her fingers through my hair.

As my eyes closed, my last conscious thought was that I hoped that the Cullens were making better progress than I was because all of our lives depended on it…

**

* * *

**

**EDWARD**

"_I'll bite her, Edward. It would be so easy. You know that I'm just like any other human except for during the full moon. I could blend into her world effortlessly. It would be so easy to gain her trust. Plus, I have the added charisma of being a supernatural being," Oscar said, grinning at me before continuing with a leer. "No one can resist the charm of a supernatural being, eh? I think it's the animal inside us... and Bella's so trusting, with obviously not an ounce of self-preservation if she was going to marry a monster such as yourself."_

"No… no… leave her alone…" I begged.

_I knew it was true. I'd always told Bella that she needed to be more careful. My family and I weren't the only monsters out there._

_I couldn't let him get close to her, so I had to give him what he wanted._

"_What do you want?"I asked, hopelessly._

"_Your absolute surrender," he said with a smug smile on his face._

"_I'll do anything."_

"Please I'll do anything. Just leave her alone."

"_We'll see… You're not afraid of a little pain, are you? No pain, no gain - isn't that what they say?" he commented with a snicker._

"_What are you going to do?" I asked in exhaustion._

"_Don't you know already? I've never met one like you before... It must be torture to know what I'm going to do before I do it… Well, anyway, I've got a theory that I want to explore…"_

"Edward, come on. Wake up. Open your eyes. Bella's waiting for you."

"Please don't hurt her," I begged. I didn't care anymore what would happen to me, but I couldn't handle the thought of Bella becoming a monster like him.

"Edward, I know that you can hear me. Just open your eyes and it will all go away," a soothing voice spoke seemingly in my ear.

_I looked around the white room past Oscar and tried to find the speaker, but I was alone with this monster. I squeezed my eyes shut as a pain shot into my arm and I heard Oscar cackle._

"Edward, open your eyes!" a voice commanded.

My eyes flew open and I saw that it wasn't Oscar that was speaking, but someone else.

After a few moments, I recognized that it was Jasper.

"Welcome back," he said with a smile.

* * *

Over the next couple of days, I began to recover my strength. My muscles still ached somewhat, but the fever was at least gone.

According to Bella it had been a terrifying few days, but I only remembered the sickness setting in. Everything from then on was a blank. She told me that after I blacked out, my temperature had seemed to fluctuate in cycles; it would spike, but then just as quickly the coldness would set in. She'd found the abrupt temperature drop terrifying. It had made her feel like I'd given up fighting and was letting myself die. However, then the shaking would begin again and my fever would flare back to life. She also said that I'd sometimes screamed her name, but no one would let her go to me because they thought that I was contagious.

I was glad that they had kept her away as a flash of my mother struggling to breathe flickered through my head. I wouldn't be able to handle watching Bella go through that, especially knowing that it was my fault.

When my mother and I had caught the Spanish influenza, it had turned into pneumonia; however, this new fever hadn't. That's why everyone was pretty certain that it wasn't the Spanish influenza I was carrying. I could tell, though, from their behavior that they also didn't think it was the regular flu.

Everyone now walked around me like they were on egg shells and whenever I would sigh, or show any sign of discomfort, the atmosphere would immediately become tense.

And then finally, there was Jacob. He had practically stopped talking beyond one word answers and wouldn't even meet my eyes. I would catch him staring at me at times, but when I would glance at him he would quickly look away.

It both frustrated and angered me that the one person I trusted almost as much as Bella was avoiding me.

_What had I done? _

Eventually, I saw an opportunity to corner him when he went into the forest to look for firewood.

"Jacob, what the hell is wrong with you?" I said as I approached him from behind.

He froze mid-step, but didn't turn around.

"I don't know what you mean…" he muttered and continued to walk.

"You're avoiding me like the plague," I snapped, but then paused before letting out a laugh.

_The plague… Didn't my father say that the Spanish influenza was the plague come again?_

My laugh caused Jacob to swivel towards me.

"What's so funny?" he grumbled, meeting my eyes for a moment before quickly looking away.

"My father told me that the Spanish Influenza was the 20th century's version of the Black Plague..."

We both stood in silence for a while before Jacob spoke.

"Look Edward, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm just working through some stuff…" he spoke in a low voice before turning away from me again.

"You haven't been the same around me since I told Jasper about what I think happened to me. So, obviously, you know something..." I said, but then I just let the statement hang in the air hoping that he would respond.

"I don't know anything…" he muttered and moved away from me again, this time in the direction of the beach - his thought of firewood forgotten.

"Do you know what happened to me? Do you know _them_?" I demanded.

He froze and whipped around towards me.

"I don't know anything about what happened to you…" he exclaimed in a pained voice.

"But you do know _them_, don't you…" I accused again.

"Yes…" he practically whispered and slumped down onto a rock. "I knew both of them. Paul belonged to my tribe," he said meeting and holding my eyes for the first time. I saw the pain in them that he'd obviously been trying to hide from me.

"Why? Why would he do this to me?"

"I don't know. He was a good man once, but the death of my sister changed him. She was the love of his life and then she was taken away from him in a horrible way…"

A memory assaulted me at his words.

"_If none of you had ever existed, I would never have come home to find Rachel broken and bleeding to death in my yard," he practically wailed._

"_She was a gentle loving person. She would never have hurt anyone. She helped take care of her family when her mother—" His voice broke before he was able to continue._

"_She was the love of my life," he sobbed, "and you took her from me."_

"_Paul, I didn't have anything to do with it. I was nowhere near the reservation when it happened. I would never have hurt—" I began._

"_YOU KILLED HER!" he roared and bolted from the room. _

"_I DIDN'T!" I yelled after him, but he was already gone._

"He thought that I'd killed her," I said quietly.

"What did you say?" Jacob said, grabbing my arm.

"_Stay still, Edward. You wouldn't want me to mar that beautiful skin more than I have to, would you?" Oscar said with a chuckle._

_I glared up at him as he towered over me._

_The grin never left his face, but it didn't reach his eyes. They were cold blue and barely blinked as I glared into them. Instead, his smile grew wider before jabbing a needle into my arm. _

"_Its skin is not as impenetrable as before… interesting… Our little experiment must be working. These bloodsuckers aren't as indestructible as we once thought… What do you think?" he said, looking over his shoulder._

_I followed his eyes and focused on Paul's haunted eyes. _

_I glared at him._

"_Keep that mutt away from me!" I snarled._

_Paul flinched but kept his eyes on Oscar._

"_Oscar, this isn't right. I'm all in for killing them, but this isn't right…" _

_"You can't back out now. He's a rare find. I'm so glad that that red-haired bitch told me about him and his family years ago. Too bad she got away though… She's crafty… I'll give her that…"_

I yanked my arm away from Jacob before speaking again.

"He wanted to kill me, but he didn't want to participate in hurting me…" I mumbled speaking mostly to myself.

"What? What do you remember?" Jacob gasped.

"What's a bloodsucker?" I asked him, not answering his question.

Jacob's eyes widened, but he didn't answer me.

"Oscar called me a bloodsucker… What was he talking about?"

"I… I… I'm not sure— " Jacob began.

"Cut the bullshit! I know that you're not telling me things! I have a right to know what's going on! It's my life that's being screwed with and all of you are hiding things from me!" I snarled jumping to my feet.

I heard rustling in the trees as someone crashed towards us.

"What's going on?" Emmett exclaimed bursting through the trees. "I heard yelling."

His concern only made me angrier.

"You are all hiding things from me! I know that you all know more about my disappearance than you're telling me. This is my life that's being messed with. I have a right to know what the hell is going on! Why did Oscar and Paul take me? Why did they do experiments on me? Why did Oscar call me an 'it' and a 'bloodsucker'?" I yelled, but Emmett just looked at me without responding.

"Edward?"

Bella appeared in front of me and immediately wormed her way under my arm. I wrapped my arms around her and felt my anger dissipate somewhat.

"What is it? Are you feeling okay?" she asked, looking up at my face in concern.

"I'm fine, Bella. I'm just trying to get some answers," I muttered, looking down at her for a moment before returning my eyes to Jacob.

"Jacob… answer me. Why did Oscar call me an 'it' and a 'bloodsucker'?"

My question hung in the air.

"Because Oscar's insane…" a voice said from behind me. "He believes in monsters and for some reason you caught his attention… Psychotic people don't always have a reason for what they do. They're delusional and that's what makes them crazy."

I stared at Rosalie as she walked towards me.

Since arriving at the lake, I'd had very few conversations with Rosalie. However, I often caught her watching me. I wondered what kind of relationship we'd had before my disappearance. I knew that it hadn't been like the ones that I'd had with the others. Yet, I could tell by the way that she looked at me that she'd cared about me.

She was looking at me that way now.

"I'm not sure about Paul… but often broken people are attracted to delusional people because they want something to make sense in their world… something that gives them a reason to feel anger, rather than grief. Maybe Oscar's delusional plans gave Paul an outlet … Trauma can do that to a person."

Her eyes clouded for a moment, and I had the distinct feeling that she was remembering something from her past that had scarred her just like Paul.

I looked down at Bella who was tucked securely under my arm. I couldn't imagine how I would react if something like what had happened to Rachel happened to Bella. I knew that I wouldn't want to be in a world in which Bella didn't exist.

* * *

Even though physically I'd almost completely recovered, emotionally my relationship with Bella had started to take on a whole new level of intensity. During the day, we were more inseparable than ever and at night we clung to each other as if at any moment we were going to be pulled apart.

I knew with 100% certainty that something bad was happening to me. My fevered dreams of Oscar's experiments on me only solidified this idea. Therefore, the right thing to do would be to separate myself from Bella. However, I couldn't live without her. And even though it was the ultimate act of selfishness, I continued to crawl into her tent with her every night.

In the middle of some nights, Bella would turn to me and trace the contours of my face and body, bringing me awake. I would sometimes reach for her as well. She was so warm that I couldn't resist running my fingers through her hair and softly kissing her lips. It wasn't passion, it was gentler than that. It never took on the heated touches that I'd experienced with her in the past. It was almost like a kind of worshipping.

On other occasions, Bella would just pull me to her with a sigh that seemed to convey all the longing that she'd told me that she'd felt while I'd been gone. In response, I would often turn her away from me, so that I could spoon myself around her body. Then, we would both fall asleep, content in each other's arms.

Unfortunately, that contentment would be gone in the morning in the harsh light of day.

It wasn't just our impending departure from the lake that caused these feelings. I couldn't help thinking about my fevered nightmares. I knew that at least some parts of them were true, and the thought of the danger that Bella and I were in filled me with dread.

We never spoke about it, but I could feel it in every touch and glance from her.

The day before we were planning on leaving, the Cullens and Jacob said they had some business to attend to. As a result, they wouldn't be back until the following day just before it was time to leave. They made up an excuse for their absence, but I knew that it was really because they wanted to give us a chance to be alone and I was grateful.

We spent the morning just as we always did—a swim followed by breakfast. However, then instead of going for a hike, we stayed on the beach wrapped in each other's arms as we stared out across the water.

Finally, I got up the courage to speak to her about what I'd been thinking about all morning. I knew that I had to do it quickly before I lost the courage.

"Bella, I want to marry you," I blurted out.

She immediately sat up and looked at me in shock.

"Wha- what did you just say?" she stuttered.

"I don't know what's going to happen—" I began, but she interrupted me by kissing me hard.

"Bella," I said, pulling away from her, "you need to hear me out… If the last few days have taught me anything, it's that I can't waste the time that I have with you."

Cupping her face in my hands, I spoke softly to her, "What I mean to say is that we can't waste any of the time that we have with each other." As I said this, I let my hands release her face and slide down the column of her neck before resting on her shoulders.

I cleared my throat suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed. I was afraid that I was rushing things, but I couldn't leave tomorrow without asking her. I allowed one of my hands to glide along her collarbone before drifting into the collar of her shirt and gently lifting out my mother's wedding ring.

"I know that this isn't the way something like this should be done, but there's nothing normal about the situation that we're in. I don't want to leave this place with anything uncertain between us. I love you. I know that I said that I didn't want to hear it, but it's the truth," I said with a crooked smile.

She smiled back, but her eyes were glistening with tears.

"I love you and… I want you to marry me," I said again.

I closed my eyes for a moment, steeling myself for her reaction.

I wasn't prepared, however, for her to throw herself at me.

"Oof…" I gasped as I landed on my back, but I started laughing breathlessly as Bella peppered my face and neck with kisses.

"Of course I'll marry you," she said, resting her forehead against mine.

"Really?" I asked.

She pulled her face slightly away from mine and looked intently into my eyes.

Then, she leaned her head down so that her lips were inches away from mine, her hair falling forward making a curtain around us.

"Really," she said seriously.

I could hear her breathing speed up at our close proximity, so I leaned up a bit more until my lips found hers. As if it had a mind of its own, my hand shot up and cupped the back of her head holding her lips to mine as I rolled us both over onto our sides. My lips moved hungrily against hers as I deepened our kiss. This was a serious kind of kiss that held a promise of things to come. This was a kind of kiss that I'd never even thought of before. Actually, there were a lot of things about women that I'd never thought of before. I would always try to avoid this topic of conversation with Arthur, so I had remained oblivious to many of the pleasures of the flesh. Don't get me wrong, I knew about the mechanics of it, but until Bella, I'd never really thought of how enjoyable it could be. However, I doubted that it could be _this_ pleasurable with any other woman.

It was as if suddenly we were both consumed by desperation to get closer. I felt like I had been set on fire. Her hand traced the planes of my back and I did the same. Then I felt her hand slip underneath the back of my T- shirt and the feeling of her hand on my bare flesh made me moan in pleasure. She traced the contours of my spine and massaged my back from my shoulders to the small of my back as I ran my hand up her arm and under her hair before pulling her towards me and gently kissing her neck. I was almost dizzy with the feelings flooding my system.

Bella gently kissed down my jaw and then sucked my earlobe into her mouth. Another moan escaped me at her breath in my ear and I wound my fingers into her hair pulling her face back to mine.

She lightly traced her fingertips across my rib cage before gently gliding the back of her hand across my stomach. My muscles twitched uncontrollably under her touch and my breathing became laboured. Finally, I exhaled a huge breath of air as I felt my body start to respond to hers in earnest. With a groan, I pulled away from her to flop onto my back in order to catch my breath.

If I hadn't pulled away at that moment, I didn't know whether I could have stopped myself from taking things too far. I wanted to touch every square inch of her, wanted to taste and to love every inch of her.

"Wow," she gasped.

"Agreed," I said with a breathless chuckle.

* * *

**A/N: **

**I have a question for you all. Do you think that they should tell Edward about vampires and werewolves?**

**Thanks for reading everyone!**

**There will be lemons or lemony-ish content in the next chapter!**


	18. Moving Forward

**MOVING FORWARD**

**EMMETT**

"You looked him straight in the eye, Rose, and lied! How's _that_ okay?" I ranted.

We were on our way back to the lake to pack after spending the night hunting. However, even with the pleasant sloshing of my meal still in my stomach I was angry, not at Rose, but at the whole situation.

"He's our _brother_ Rose. We lied to our brother…" I muttered.

It just seemed so wrong to keep this from him. He was right. It was his life.

_Bella adjusted to knowing about us. Why couldn't Edward?_

Rose felt that it would be too much for him to know. Things were chaotic enough around him and if we added:

"Hey Edward, you used to be a vampire… You were turned in 1918 at the same time that your family died… You're human now, but we don't know why... We think that maybe it has something to do with a crazy werewolf who did experiments on you… We don't know whether you're going to change into some kind of monster…"

Yeah, I got her point. That might be a little much for Edward's human brain to handle, but it didn't change the fact we were still lying to him. It just seemed so wrong to keep things from him, especially things that directly impacted his life.

We were also taking two vulnerable humans into a cesspool of illness and having Edward oblivious to what was going on around him was adding a whole other element of danger for him and for us.

I was beyond stressed. I didn't know whether it was Jasper causing it, but I was feeling tenser than I'd ever remembered feeling in my long life. As we made our way back to camp, Rose kept looking at me out of the corner of her eye as if I were a ticking time bomb, and maybe I was.

Just before reaching camp, Rose grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop.

"Emmett… I know that you hate this, but don't do anything stupid. Let's let Carlisle decide how to tell Edward. Maybe he can think of a way to tell him that won't cause him to have a breakdown… Don't you remember what he was like when you first saw him?"

How could I forget? It was burned into my brain.

… _a pale sickly looking Edward huddled in the corner of the hospital room with a look of horror in his eyes as he looked at me…. _

I gently pulled my arm away from her and without speaking continued moving toward camp.

When we broke through the trees, we saw that Edward, Bella, and Jacob were huddled together next to the fire talking quietly.

Edward looked up first and his eyes brightened when he saw us.

I never thought that I'd see that look in his eyes again.

I felt a grin spread across my face and some of my tension disappeared.

Even when all of his instincts told him not to trust us, Edward had started to let us in. After yesterday, however, I thought that we'd lost all of that. Edward's accusations were right; we were hiding things from him and he knew it. However, it seemed that Bella had worked her magic again and he was still open to trusting us.

I think that if she hadn't been with us when we'd first found Edward, we would have lost him a long time ago. As always, Bella seemed to calm Edward. He'd always been uptight, but when he`d met Bella he'd mellowed A LOT.

Don't get me wrong, I think that I had a hand in getting Edward to loosen up. Even when he was a vampire, I could often pull him out of whatever funk he was in. And, Edward had _often_ been in a funk.

However, the look on his face now was more relaxed than I'd ever seen. Even with all the craziness around us, he looked almost blissful.

_Why is he blissful? _

We were leaving the safety of the lake today and entering into some unknown… When we'd left, he'd been on the edge of a breakdown…

Then, I guessed it.

The vibe of repressed sexual tension that always poured off of Edward, especially after meeting Bella, was a little bit less now.

I loved to tease Edward about being repressed because he would immediately growl and attack. Whenever I was itching for a fight, it was the one thing that I could say that guaranteed a reaction. When he'd eventually calm down, I could get him going again by saying that his reaction only confirmed my suspicions. Then I would add the icing on the cake, "Edward, you just need to get laid, man…" and he would be on me again.

I chuckled.

I looked at Bella next. Yep, definitely the valve on the boiler had been loosened.

It wasn't the blissful state of two people who had had great sex, but something was "had" for sure.

My tension lessened even more when I saw the casual intimacy that they exchanged unconsciously - a touch of an arm, an intimate glance when they didn't think anyone was looking.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and moved toward them.

"Hey kids," I bellowed. "Did you have a good night?"

They both blushed.

Yep. Definitely some kind of release had been made.

I looked at Jacob and chuckled. He seemed to be wound even tighter. He must have sensed the change as well.

I plopped down on the log next to Bella, making her bounce.

"Hey sis, what'cha been up to that is making you blush like that?" I asked, with a smirk. "You haven't been getting into any mischief, have you?" I said, pulling her to me with an arm around her shoulders.

"Emmett…" Edward snarled a warning.

I snapped my head toward him. The tone was so familiar.

"Yeah, Eddie?" I said teasingly, grinning from ear to ear.

"Shut up," he growled, but then a smile also spread across his face.

I sighed and leaned towards Rosalie, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

Then, I heard Rosalie whisper in a register below human hearing, "Do you want to risk destroying _that_?"

I shook my head infinitesimally and hung my head, the stress beginning to build inside me again.

Rosalie laid her head on my shoulder, trying to give me some comfort.

It wasn't that much longer before Jasper and Alice appeared silently out of the trees.

Alice joined us next to the fire, but Jasper motioned for me to join him.

I jumped up a little too quickly for human standards and quickly looked at Edward to see whether he had noticed, but he was too involved with watching Bella as she talked with the rest.

I then followed Jasper into the trees until we were at a safe distance.

He turned towards me and said, "Sam has some information on Oscar. It's time for us to go."

* * *

**BELLA**

Everything from the last day and a half had passed in a blur - all centered on Edward.

When he'd asked me to marry him, it was like a whole world had opened up in front of us.

And now I couldn't keep my hands off him.

Every nerve ending in my body would ignite when he'd even walk past me.

I was so on fire for him. I was surprised that flames didn't flicker out of my fingertips when I touched his skin.

I was absolutely out of control and even though I knew that I should not allow things to go too far with everything so unsettled, I ached with wanting him.

Edward seemed to be feeling the same way because whenever I would find that I'd regain any amount of self-control, he would wrap his arms around me and kiss me hard enough to take my breath away. His mouth was extremely talented for someone who had never kissed a girl before.

Looking at him now as we packed up our tent, my mind flashed to the night before.

_When I turned off the flashlight, we were plunged into complete blackness. I crawled under the blanket with him, finding my way only by touch. Once I was settled next to him, I wrapped my arm around him with a sigh. Edward in turn pulled me against his side and buried his face in my hair. _

_I lifted my hand from his chest and traced the contours of his face in the dark, sending sparks throughout my body. In the pitch black, I could feel every change in texture of his skin. _

_We lay together in silence, touching lightly and just listening to the other breathe. _

"_I'm just so happy, and sad, and scared all at the same time," I said, breaking the silence._

_He didn't say anything but he held me tighter._

_I continued to lightly trace his cheek, ear, and mouth, never getting tired of learning the differences in him - the stubble on his cheek, his warm breath on my hand. I leaned towards him and kissed him, gliding my tongue along his bottom lip. He opened his mouth and slipped his into mine._

_After a while, I broke away from kissing him, to continue my gentle explorations._

_"I really love the stubble…" I said with a laugh as I cupped his cheek. _

"_Really?" he asked, skeptically. _

"_Yes…" I murmured kissing along his jaw and then rubbing my lips against the bristle._

_Again the current of electricity coursed through me when my lips touched his skin._

_He pulled my face up to his and captured my lips with his again. However, I broke away from our kiss and sat up. Leaning over him, I ran my fingers through his hair, then over his mouth and down his neck. _

_A shiver ran through him, but he stilled my hand. "Bella—" he began, but stopped abruptly as I leaned in and started to nibble at the skin under his jaw. When he began speaking again his voice was slightly higher than normal and I smiled against his skin. I loved knowing that he was so affected by me. "We shouldn't take this too far ... We're not even-" I kissed him again to silence what he was going to say, my fingertips continuing to explore his chest. However, when I reached the bottom of his shirt and began pulling it up, he broke away from me again. _

"—_married… Bella, we're not married," he said, with a gasp at the touch of my hand on his bare stomach._

"_That doesn't mean that we need to stop completely does it?" I murmured, against his neck trying to keep a note of pleading out of my voice. I prayed that his morals wouldn't put a stop to us._

_"No," he said raggedly as he sat up, pulled the back of his shirt over his head, and pulled me into his arms._

I shook myself out of my thoughts to continue packing. I looked over at Edward who was shaking out our blankets before folding them. There was tension in the lines of his face, which brought back to me the reality that we were leaving today.

We were leaving the safety of the lake and entering the real world.

Worry and guilt started to build in me again.

Yesterday, we'd lied to his face when he'd asked us about vampires.

I knew that Rosalie had a valid point for not telling him. She felt that Edward was still in a fragile state of mind. It had only really been a month since we'd found him and he'd been catatonic at that point.

I didn't want him to return to that state when we'd come so far. I didn't know what it would do to him if he found out the truth. I had adjusted to the news of him and his family being vampires, but everyone said that my reaction was very unusual. Plus, it wasn't just as simple as "the Cullens are vampires and Jake is a werewolf." We'd have to explain that we didn`t know what _he_ was.

When I'd found out about them, I'd at least had a choice as to whether I wanted to become a part of their world or not. Edward had given me the opportunity to walk away, but I couldn`t give him that in return. He was stuck in this supernatural world even if he didn`t want to be.

And now I'd promised to marry him. I answered his question without even thinking. There was no question in my mind that I wanted to marry him, but would he feel the same about me if he knew what he`d been? And potentially could be?

Without memories, weeks lacking any sense of self, yesterday he had gained something of his own, which was me. I was the only part of Edward's world that made sense. And I knew that part of the reason that he had proposed to me was that he needed something right now in his life to be normal. For a man who was born in 1901, it was the epitome of normal to propose to the woman he loved.

The guilt was overwhelming.

I started stuffing our clothing into our backpacks and let my mind wander to happier thoughts.

_He weaved his fingers into my hair as he pulled my face to his and kissed me passionately. _

"_God, your smell is intoxicating," he gasped in my ea., "You're like some kind of drug."_

_A shiver travelled down my spine at his words and I pulled his mouth ferociously back to mine, biting his bottom lip._

_I felt his hands tighten in my hair at my action and a groan rumbled deep in his chest._

_Eventually we pulled away from each other gasping for breath. However, he only paused momentarily before kissing his way down my jaw to my ear lobe and down my neck. _

_My hand rested on his hip, squeezing and releasing it at every shock of pleasure that flowed through me. His stubble rasped against my skin with every pass of his lips and I was so entranced by the feeling that I didn't notice right away that his hand was gliding along the edge of my shirt. When he slipped his hand tentatively under it and glided his fingers along my ribcage as I'd done with him, a shudder wracked through me and I couldn't stop a moan from escaping my lips. _

"_Bella, are you okay?" he suddenly whispered in my ear, pulling his hand quickly away._

"_More than okay," I gasped._

"_But you're shaking," he said._

_He was right. My body was practically vibrating out of its skin. I was just so overwhelmed by his touch. I always thought that it was part of his being a vampire that dazzled me, but I realized now that it was just Edward._

_However, I wasn't the only one shaking._

"_So are you…" I whispered with a smile. His muscles twitched uncontrollably everywhere I touched. _

"_It's a good shivering though…" I said, worried that he would misinterpret my body's reactions. "What about you?' I whispered against his shoulder as I ran my hand slowly up his body from his hip to his side and across his chest. In response, I felt his skin break out in goose pimples as a stronger shiver tore through him._

"_Definitely good shivers," he whispered, and I could hear the smile in his voice._

_His hands had begun to move restlessly over whatever bit of my bare skin he could find. Then, it slipped back under my shirt before continuing its exploration of the skin on my stomach. Tracing patterns, his hand inched its way slowly up my ribcage until he paused just below my breast and stopped. _

_My breath caught in my throat at the thought of him pulling away now. If he did, I thought that my heart would stop and I would literally burst into flames. So, before he could pull away, I took his wrist in my hand and moved it up so that his hand cupped my breast._

_We both froze at the contact. _

_Then, Edward kissed me fiercely as he gently traced my breast. I gasped and arched my back, pressing my breast into his hand and pushing my body against his arousal. At my response, Edward let out a guttural moan and pulled me over on top of him. _

"_Oh God, Bella," he gasped and for a moment we just lay there breathing heavily._

_Then, Edward began to kiss my neck, my mouth, my ear as his other hand joined his first in the stroking and teasing of my breasts and nipples. These first tentative caresses gained more intensity as both our breathing accelerated. _

_From my position on top of him, I ground down on him as he found a particularly sensitive spot in the crook of my neck. _

_The sensation sent a whole new flood of electricity through my body, making me moan with pleasure. _

"_Bella… God…Please..." he moaned as his hands left my breasts to grip my hips as I pushed down on him again._

_His words spurred me on and I pushed myself down harder on him as he pushed up, enjoying the delicious friction._

_Edward's kisses were becoming more urgent as we both got lost in the movement of our bodies. It was like we were building up a charge between us, causing everything to intensify- our breathing, our movement, our heat. _

_However, as everything started to reach a fevered pitch, with a groan Edward pulled his lips from mine and rolled me off of him._

"_Edward?" I said with a slight note of pleading in my voice. It felt like I would die right then and there if everything were to end now. _

"_Just give me a minute," he said huskily._

_He kissed me softly again, before laying his head back on his pillow. I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heart beat as it slowed from its frantic pace while at the same time trying to slow my own breathing. _

_Just as we were calm again, however, he lifted my head off his chest and found my mouth again and we began where we left off. Moments later, we rocked against each other, his hands this time moving me, as we both panted and moaned. _

_It was me who stopped our movements the next time when I thought that if we didn't take a break one of us was about to combust. _

_I'd never experienced being so consumed with pleasure. I couldn't imagine anything better than being with Edward in this moment and in this way._

_I cast a sidelong glance at him, as he held me close with his arm around my waist and his leg tangled with mine, breathing just as heavily as I was. He was so amazingly handsome that he made my head spin. _

_Suddenly, I realized that I could actually see him. _

_Where had the night gone?_

"_It's morning?" I said, sitting up in confusion. _

"_When did that happen?" Edward said rubbing his hands vigorously through his hair._

_I laughed as I looked at him knowing that if we both looked like he did, it would be clear to everyone that we'd been involved in some pretty serious making out. _

_It was lucky that his family wouldn't be back for a while, I thought._

_But then I realized that I didn't really care if anyone noticed. _

_In the past, I would have been shy and embarassed. However, now, after three long years without him, I didn't care what anyone else thought. All that matterd was us._

_He caught my hand as I began to crawl out from under our blankets and raised it to his lips._

"_Bella, I love you so much. You know that, right? I'm so thankful that you found me. I don't know what I would be without you. You are the only thing in my world right now that makes any sense." _

His words echoed in my head as I came back to reality. I looked around the now empty tent and tried to shake the feeling of guilt that was inside of me.

I agreed to marry him, but I was a liar.

I was contemplating this betrayal on my part, when suddenly I was pulled out of my thoughts by a pair of strong arms wrapping themselves around me and a pair of lips kissing my neck.

_Oh to hell with thinking… _

_

* * *

_

We packed up the campsite and began to hike back to the car a little past noon. I looked at our campsite once everything was packed before turning to follow everyone into the trees. I felt a sense of sadness and foreboding with every step that I took away from the safety of our campsite.

I knew that it was time, but I was absolutely terrified.

Hiking back to the vehicles took less time than I thought. I think that it was because we "humans" were so full of nervous energy that we were too keyed up to rest. So, even though I tripped and stumbled over every stump and root we still made good progress. Shortly after supper, we arrived at the vehicles.

Edward looked at them with trepidation. It occurred to me that Edward had been quite sick on our trip here, so he probably hadn`t really noticed the strangeness of our vehicles.

_Did they even have cars in 1918?_

I took his hand, but he didn't acknowledge me or his confusion. He just rolled his shoulders and opened the jeep's door and climbed in.

Driving back through the Olympic National Park and then Port Angeles, it was quiet. No one spoke in the car because I think that no one knew what to say.

I wondered what my father was doing as we drove through Port Angeles.

_Is he still looking for me? _

I felt guilt at the thought of my parents and my friends. I`d been gone for over a month during a time when there was an outbreak of illness that was killing a lot of people. For all I knew, they all thought that I was dead. Then, a thought struck me.

_Are they okay?_

Jacob had told me that my father was staying with Billy, but what about Aidin and Sarah?

A sick feeling settled in my stomach.

The streets were desolate almost like a ghost town.

I gripped Edward's hand in mine and he squeezed it back but he was too pre-occupied for any other communication.

The silence was broken when Alice began talking on her cell phone.

"Yes… We're on our way… Where are you? …Okay, we'll meet you there." Alice shut off her phone and looked back at us.

"Carlisle and Esme are waiting for us in Seattle. We're going to go straight there. Do you need us to pick you up anything to eat?" she asked.

We both shook our heads, but Edward gripped my hand hard enough that it hurt.

"They're waiting for us at a house that they rented in one of the suburbs. It's separate from the populated areas," she said to the whole car. "Carlisle says that the flu is running rampant through Seattle, so we need to keep Edward and Bella as far away from people as possible. We'll be there in about thirty minutes. Carlisle practically has a full clinic set up in the basement, so we won't have to go to a hospital," she said with relief in her voice.

However, Edward jerked up in his seat at her words.

"What? What do you mean by 'he has a full clinic'? What is he going to do?"

"He needs to do tests on you in order to figure out what's going on…" I said softly, tracing patterns on his skin with my thumb.

"No… There is no way in hell that anyone is going to do tests on me. I'm through with tests," he said, trying to pull his hand away from mine, but failing when I held his tightly.

"Edward, we have to find out what's going on with you, but we can't do that without doing some tests…" I reasoned.

"No… that's not going to happen…" he said, shaking his head vehemently.

"Neither one of us is safe until we find out, Edward. Carlisle isn't going to hurt you. He loves you. You're like a son to Carlisle and Esme."

"Bella…" he said, shaking his head.

"Edward, please," I said, turning towards him and cupping his face with my hand, "Please, if you can't trust Carlisle, then trust me. I can't lose you again. I love you. I wouldn't ask you to do something that would put you in danger."

He turned away from me to look out the window and didn't answer, but he also didn't continue to argue. And while it wasn`t a great sign, it was better than nothing. We had to get him to Carlisle whether he liked it or not.

* * *

The Cullens went through the front door of the small bungalow first with Edward and me trailing behind.

I could hear the muffled greetings from inside the house. They were not loud enough for me to distinguish any voices, but I felt relief just at the thought of Esme and Carlisle being on the other side of the door.

Unfortunately, the closer that we got to the house, the more Edward's tension grew. As we were about to step into the house, he froze and clenched my hand in a tight grip.

I turned to look at him and gently tugged on his hand.

"It`s okay Edward… Everything's going to be fine," I said soothingly, tugging on his hand again.

He warily began to put one foot in front of the other again, following me slowly into the house.

The house was an ordinary family home. The entryway opened into a galley kitchen made up of muted yellows and browns. I was actually surprised at how ordinary it was; it wasn`t anything like the Cullens` mansion in Forks.

Emmett stood in the doorway of the kitchen. His large frame blocked the entrance to what I believed was the living room. I couldn't see what was beyond the door, but tears welled up in my eyes at the sound of Esme's voice.

"Will he see us?" she asked.

"Sweetheart, we should give him some time. He might not be ready to see us," Carlisle said gently.

Emmett turned at that moment and with a smile beckoned for us to join them.

"I can't do this," Edward stuttered, inching backwards.

"Edward is that you, son?" Esme called, pushing past Emmett.

My breath caught in my throat when I saw her, but when I tried to move forward Edward held me locked in place.

"Bella, don`t..." he began.

However, Esme continued to move towards us and soon had me wrapped in her arms with Edward`s arm stretched out between us.

"Bella, we've missed you," she murmured in my ear before turning to Edward.

"Edward, I'm so happy to see you, son. I can't believe that you're here—healthy and whole. I've been so worried."

I looked back at Edward and saw that he had a pained look of confusion on his face.

"I- I don`t know you," he said, releasing my hand and backing away.

He stumbled as he ran into a coffee table, but after righting himself he raised his hands in front of him, warding her away.

I moved towards him, but he motioned for me to stay back as well.

"Bella…" he said and I ached at the confusion in his voice.

"Edward, will you please give us a chance to explain?" A voice from behind me spoke.

Carlisle had entered the room without us noticing. Looking at him now, I was struck by his appearance as I always had been. I'd always thought that Carlisle was the most supernatural-looking of all of the Cullens. His pale blond hair and white skin gave him an ethereal quality that probably made him seem like an angel to many sick and dying patients. However, I knew that this would work against him with Edward whom I knew recognized him as the last person he saw on his own deathbed.

When he spoke, Edward`s head jerked in his direction.

"You…you... did this to me!" he hissed, a look of anger on his face.

"Son, give me a chance to explain…" Carlisle said calmly, staying a safe distance away.

"I AM NOT YOUR SON!" Edward roared.

I backed away from him, shocked by the strength of the anger in his voice.

"I know... I'm sorry… I shouldn't have called you that," Carlisle said, sitting down in a chair on the opposite side of the room from him. "I know that you have a lot of questions. Why don't you sit down, so we can talk," he went on to say.

When he was met by silence, Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose in a gesture that I'd seen Edward do a million times.

I looked toward Edward and from the look on his face I could tell that he recognized the gesture as well. Slowly, he sat down in a chair that was as far away from Carlisle as possible.

I looked between them both not knowing where to sit. I wasn't sure whether Edward wanted me sitting with him. So, I chose a chair next to Esme. Once I was seated, she took my hand in hers and squeezed it in comfort.

We all sat in tense silence for a moment before Carlisle spoke again.

"I know that you have questions-" Carlisle began.

"I have nothing to say to you," Edward stated, harshly. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were as hard as stone.

"Edward… I know that you probably hate me. I understand your feeling and accept it, but I need you to be open to listening to me," he said in as soothing a voice as possible.

"Why should I?" Edward demanded. "All I know about you is that you started all of this."

"Yes… I am the one who started all of this," Carlisle said with a defeated sigh. "However, I never meant you any harm. Your mother asked me to save you-" he began.

"My mother's dead! My father's dead! Now, the disease that killed them is spreading here, putting people I love in jeopardy!" he yelled, as he gestured towards me. "How can you call this saving me?"

"Edward, I'm guilty of a lot of things. However, I didn't make your parents sick and I didn't create the disease that is now killing people. Deep down I'm sure that you know that," Carlisle said, imploringly. "I only want to help you. I want to help you figure out what is going on inside of you. Alice has told me that you've been feeling sick on and off during your time camping. I want to help you figure out why it's happening and hopefully at the same time find some way to treat the disease that is killing people."

"You are not touching me," Edward said in a chilling voice.

"Edward, I know that you are aware that there is something happening inside of you that is abnormal. Your missing memory is just one symptom of this problem. Don't you want to figure out what is happening?"

Edward's face did not change. He continued to glare at Carlisle with his hands clenched on his lap.

When he didn't respond, Carlisle continued.

"Edward, I need to do tests on you to make sure that you're not contagious. If you've been sick, then there is a chance that the disease is still inside of you. If that's the case, you may be putting yourself and others at risk. You don`t want to put Bella at risk, do you?"

At my name, Edward`s eyes flickered towards me. He held my gaze for a moment before looking back at Carlisle.

"All I want to do is do a few tests to make sure that you`re not sick. After that I`ll answer any questions that you have. I know that you have questions and there are things that you need to know."

The ticking of the clock in the kitchen counted the seconds and then minutes while we waited for Edward to respond.

I sighed in relief when after looking at me again for a long moment, Edward nodded in grudging acceptance.

* * *

After an hour of tests from blood to skin samples, Edward and I went to one of the bedrooms to rest. However, the minute that we closed the door Edward started pacing back and forth running his hands restlessly through his hair and over his face.

I stood for a moment with my back leaning against the door, trying to decide what to do.

Edward had sat white knuckled through the tests, not speaking just staring straight ahead. I'd rubbed his shoulder and back the whole time, but he ignored my presence, having retreated within himself.

Now I felt like at any moment he was going to explode.

"Edward, please stop pacing and talk to me," I begged, but he didn`t. In fact, he seemed to become more agitated.

It reminded me too much of when I'd almost lost him a few months ago in the forest, so I hurried towards him and reached out for his arm. However, at my touch, Edward shoved me away from him, causing me to stumble and almost fall. I caught myself on the edge of an oak dresser and pulled myself to my feet.

I looked up at him in shock and met his anguished eyes looking back.

"Oh God… Bella, I`m sorry… I don't know what I'm doing..." he moaned, but his pacing picked up the pace becoming almost frantic.

"Edward…" I pleaded, frightened at the fevered look in his eye that showed me that he was just on the edge.

"Bad things are going to happen Bella. You heard Dr. Cullen… There is something going on inside me and I feel it… something dangerous is fighting to get out. I try to forget about it because all I want is to be with you, but I know it's there lurking inside of me."

"Edward…" I pleaded.

"Bella, look me in the eye and tell me that I`m wrong... Tell me that there isn`t something dangerous inside of me."

I looked at him and tried to say it, but I couldn`t.

Instead, I felt tears well up in my eyes.

He looked at me with pain in his own eyes.

"Bella, please don`t cry. I can`t take it. I`m sorry that I'm scaring you."

I shook my head, knowing that he had every right to blame me. He shouldn't be apologizing. I was the liar.

Suddenly, he lunged towards me and pulled me into a rough embrace.

"Edward… I… I…" I tried to speak, wanting to tell him something that would take his fear away.

But before I could say anything, his mouth crashed onto mine as he pulled me hard against his chest.

I knew that his embrace was fuelled by fear, but I couldn`t resist responding to it.

I reached up and wound my fingers into his hair anchoring his mouth to mine as we stumbled backwards towards the bed.


	19. The Awful Truth

**A/N: **Thanks for reading. I hope that you like this chapter. I agonized over it for a long time. Write me a review and tell me what you think!

**The Awful Truth**

**MIRACULOUS SURVIVAL: UNIDENTIFIED ANIMALS ATTACK HUSBAND AND WIFE**

**CBC News Online | May 15, 2002**

"Oscar Chapman is lucky to be alive," Saint John police chief John Wilson stated at a press conference Saturday.

The unprovoked animal attack took place late Friday night as Chapman and his wife hiked along the coast of Fundy National Park. Two unidentified animals attacked the couple and left Chapman, 31, critically injured with severe wounds to his head, neck, and side.

Chief Wilson confirmed that although bandaged and bloodied, Chapman has been stabilized and is no longer in intensive care. Miraculously, Rita Chapman, 25, was not injured in the attack.

CBC reporter Amy Levine met with Mrs. Chapman later that day at the hospital. When asked what kind of animal attacked them, Chapman's wife stated that "At first, I thought that they were black bears, but when I screamed one looked right at me, and I saw that they weren't. I think that they may have been some kind of wolf, but not like any I've ever seen before - they were huge and so fast."

When asked why they were hiking so late at night, Rita Chapman replied tearfully that "we'd thought it would be romantic to hike under the light of the full moon."

Chapman explained his own miraculous survival from his hospital bed at the Saint John Regional hospital.

"When my wife began screaming, one of the animals let go of me for a split second. I was terrified that they would go after her, and somehow I remembered that I had a knife, so I pulled it from my belt and started to stab the one nearest to me under its jaw. For some reason, this caused the other one to turn its attention back to me and then they both just took off into the woods," recalled Chapman.

The blade he used to fend off the attack was only about eight centimeters.

"When I thought that they might go after my wife, something just clicked inside of me," Chapman said matter-of-factly. "When the animals had first pushed me to the ground, I was just thinking that it's not possible, that it cannot end like this. But when I saw that one was going to go after my wife, I told myself that there was no way in hell that my wife was going to die with me," Chapman told reporters.

Chapman is expected to recover, according to doctors, although he narrowly missed having a jugular vein cut.

"Honestly, it's a miracle that he made it through the last 24 hours," said one doctor. "The severity of the mauling would have killed most people, but obviously Chapman is a fighter."

Authorities say they are combing the area for any signs of the creatures. The park remains closed until further notice. Local residents are asked to remain vigilant for any sign of the creatures.

* * *

**STRANGE COINCIDENCE OR PLANNED ATTACK? ANIMALS ATTACK SAME COUPLE ONE MONTH LATER IN THEIR HOME**

**CBC News Online | June 12, 2002**

A month ago, everyone in the small community of Saint John, New Brunswick, had been calling Oscar and Rita Chapman's survival from a vicious animal attack a miracle.

However, almost exactly one month later, this miracle turned to horror as neighbors of the Chapman family called 911 when they heard screaming and growling from next door.

It was approximately 3:00am when Joel Harding and his wife Wendy were awoken to the terrifying sounds of the attack.

"I called 911 immediately, but I am ashamed to say that I was too scared to go next door right away. By the time I'd gotten up the courage to go over, it was too late," Harding told reporters.

Armed with only a butcher knife, Harding entered the Chapmans' home.

"It was horrible. There was blood and broken furniture everywhere. At first, I couldn't even see her in all that mess, but then I heard her in the living room," Harding told reporters, but wouldn't speak any further of the tragedy.

However, inside sources say that upon entry, Harding found Rita Chapman lying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. When Harding crouched down next to her, she grabbed his leg and started saying the same word over and over again - her husband's name.

Oscar Chapman is reported as missing.

Police have not yet released a statement about this disturbing crime, but theories and rumors are running rampant throughout the community.

Some unconfirmed reports state that there were no signs of a break-in, and that the front door seemed to have been torn down from the inside.

Some even believe that it could be the same wild animals that had attacked the Chapmans a month ago. These creatures could have tracked their blood to their premises in order to finish the job. Others say that it was Chapman himself that attacked his wife, perhaps as a result of rabies.

Other more far-fetched rumors speculate that it is too much of a coincidence that both attacks happened during a full moon.

Rita Chapman remains in hospital in a coma. Doctors are not making any statements about her chances of recovery. Her family, who is flying in from Montreal tonight, has requested privacy in their time of grief.

In the meantime, the search for Oscar Chapman continues. Police have released a description of Oscar as well as the animals that attacked the Chapman family a month ago.

Police state that if anyone sees Chapman or the animals, they are not to approach them. They are to call 911 immediately and wait for the police.

Oscar John Chapman is described as a 31 year old Caucasian male with black hair and blue eyes. He is approximately 6 feet tall and weighs 170 pounds. He is described as having a light complexion and an athletic build.

* * *

**NEW LEAD IN CHAPMAN CASE**

**CBC News Online | September 8, 2006**

Four years after a brutal attack in a quiet North-End townhouse in the small community of Saint John, New Brunswick, police have a new lead in the attack on Oscar Chapman and his wife Rita.

On June 11, 2002, an animal attack occurred in the Chapman home, leaving Rita Chapman in a coma and Oscar Chapman missing.

However, yesterday, police held a press conference in which they reported that new evidence has come to light in the case.

A caregiver from Rita Chapman's nursing home, recently contacted police to report a break in. Holly Brown stated that while making her rounds a little after 2 am, she heard talking coming from Rita Chapman's private room. Thinking that it was another caregiver, Brown approached the room.

Strangely, when she entered, there was no one there, but the window to the room was open and a bouquet of flowers sat by Rita Chapman's bedside.

Due to this new evidence, police are re-releasing a description of Oscar Chapman, believing that he may still be alive.

Name: Oscar John Chapman

Classification: Endangered Missing Adult

Date of Birth: 1971-11-03

Date Missing: June 11, 2002

From City/Province: Saint John, New Brunswick

Missing from (Country): Canada

Age at Time of Disappearance: 31

Gender: Male

Race: White

Height: 72 inches, 6 feet

Weight: approximately 170 pounds

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Blue

Complexion: Pale

Clothing: Unknown

Circumstance of Disappearance: Missing from own home after an animal attack

Investigative Agency: Saint John Regional Police

Phone: (614) 335-2111

Investigative Case #: 55-882

* * *

**CARLISLE**

"There are more news reports about mysterious animal attacks moving across Canada from East to West. However, not all of them occurred during the full moon _and_ not all of them were at night. So, there might not be a relationship between the attacks _or_ it could mean that it is not just werewolves involved," I explained, looking around the room.

During my phone call with Sam, my family had sat in silence. The tension in the air was palpable, not having died down since my confrontation with Edward.

"You don't think that shape shifters could be involved do you? Why would they team up with a rabid werewolf?" Jacob asked in disbelief.

"I don't know, but Oscar's appearance at his wife's bedside three years ago right before Edward's disappearance can't be a coincidence," I responded.

"Didn't Edward say that in one of his visions he heard growling from the trees surrounding him?" Emmett asked. "And wasn't it in the same vision that Oscar approached him in his human form? So, if Edward's visions are true, it means that Oscar isn't working alone and he isn't just hanging with others of his kind."

"And, if he was able to recruit Paul, then it stands to reason that he could have won over others as well," Jasper said thoughtfully.

I walked over to the bay window that looked out at the backyard of the house in order to think. This information about Oscar was important, but it didn't help me with the crisis that was quickly approaching.

Bella and Edward would be coming downstairs soon and I'd promised Edward that I'd give him some answers.

My dilemma was whether to lay everything out in front of Edward, or to take it step by step. For Edward, usually the more information that he had, the more reasonable he'd be. Unfortunately, he was also known for his rashness over anything that put Bella in danger, and none of us could afford that right now.

Everyone had fallen silent behind me as I walked away. I knew that they were just as worried as I was about the upcoming talk with Edward, but I had nothing to say to comfort them.

"Maybe instead of telling Edward, you should start by showing him, Carlisle. Seeing is believing, right? Once he sees that we aren't human, then we could fill him in on the information he needs," Emmett said, coming to stand next to me.

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Emmett. When he was on the verge of death, he saw me for what I was and thought that I was a demon. Our true form would just confirm that hypothesis in his mind," I said, running my hands through my hair.

I had never been this unsure of myself in my life. I had no idea how best to approach this topic with Edward.

"Alice, have you had any visions at all?" I asked, hopefully.

"No, I even tried to get as far away from all of you as possible. I was hoping that being away from Jacob would let me see something. But I think that we are so entangled in this werewolf, shape shifter business that I can't get clear of it," Alice growled in frustration.

"I'm going to have to just start at the beginning and hope that he'll listen to me," I said.

"We'll all be here to support you, sweetheart," Esme said, taking my hand in hers as she joined Emmett and me at the window.

I squeezed her hand in response to her attempt to comfort me .

"I think that I have to do this alone, darling. Once he finds out about us, all of our presences might be too much for him to handle… It would be best if it were only Edward, Bella, and me… I started this… so I think that I'm the only one that he might believe," I explained.

When Edward had woken from his change back in 1918, he'd told me over and over again that he would have been better off dead. He'd even screamed it at me years later on the night that he left Esme and me to go off on his own. When we tracked him down to try to get him to return with us, he'd told us that he was just behaving like the monster that I'd created.

When he finally returned to us, I'd tried to put those words out of my head, but they'd haunted me. However, once he'd met Bella, I started to be able to put the feeling of guilt to rest. I`d told myself that it was fate. Bella was his soul mate, but he'd had to wait for 80 years to find her. So, I was able to convince myself that my decision to change Edward had been fated and not just a selfish act on my part.

Now the guilt was back. I knew that I was about to re-live Edward's anger and hatred at what I'd turned him into.

"Jacob, you should go see Sam. It's been a long time since you've been home and maybe you can help in the search for Oscar," I said, before turning towards my children. "The four of you should go into Seattle and wait for Edward's test results to come back."

Jasper, as I knew he would, opened his mouth in order to protest.

"Jasper, I won't be in any danger. Edward and Bella are both human," I said, firmly.

"Oh sweetheart…" Esme said, clenching my hand in hers. She knew that underneath my firm tone I was anything but confident. She always seemed to know.

"Esme, I need you nearby, but out of sight," I said, turning to look at my mate.

"Of course, sweetheart, I'll just stay in the basement. I'll be able to hear everything, but Edward won't know that I'm here," she said, rubbing my shoulder in comfort.

When finally we heard the door upstairs open, everyone disappeared, leaving me alone to face the oncoming storm.

* * *

When Edward entered the room alone, I was surprised because I hadn`t expected him to be without Bella. I felt a certain level of trepidation about doing this without her. She had the ability to calm him when the rest of us couldn`t.

He seemed equally surprised to find me sitting alone at the kitchen table and after looking around the room, he began to leave.

"Edward, will you please sit down?" I asked attempting to sound welcoming and at ease. I needed to tell him everything and I couldn't if he continued to avoid me. "The others have gone into Seattle, but I stayed because we need to talk. I need to tell you some things and I thought that it would be better if we were alone," I said, calmly.

He stood for a moment in the entryway, undecided, but then took a deep breath and approached the table.

He sat down in the chair opposite me and said hollowly, "What did the results say? Am I a monster?"

I froze at his words and for a moment stopped breathing. I'd already gone through this with him once before, so I knew that he was going to think he was a monster no matter what I told him.

His shoulders tightened at my reaction, and I cursed internally. I would have to tread lightly if I were to approach this conversation in the right way.

"The results haven't come back yet. I sent the others into town to wait for them. Hopefully, they'll be back by tonight," I said, calmly. "That's not what we need to talk about. I want to fill in the missing parts of your memory... It's not going to be easy, but I think that the information may help to trigger your memory." I looked him in the eye and tried to convey the depth of my sincerity. "It's important, Edward, that you hear me out from beginning to end."

Edward did not react to my speech. He just continued to stare at me without revealing any clue as to what was going on in his head. His heart rate was slightly elevated, but it was always like that when we vampires were nearby.

Then, he waved for me to go on.

"Well, say it," he said coldly, "I'm waiting."

"Do you remember when we first met?" I asked him, but he didn't respond.

"I'd already been in Chicago a few years, when I met you and your family. It was in the middle of the influenza outbreak, and I'd already spent countless days and nights treating people to the point that each case had become the same as the next. However, your family stood out from the blood and death that surrounded me.

"I remember clearly the day that your father entered the hospital. I remember him because he was one of the few that had come to the hospital of his own accord. Usually patients arrived on stretchers past the point where they could even communicate. However, even though he was in the throes of the disease, your father begged every medical staff that he encountered to keep you and your mother away from him and out of the hospital.

"I was treating him when you and your mother arrived. Your father saw you first and began to thrash so violently that I thought he was having a seizure.

"When I turned, I saw the two of you standing at the foot of his bed. I'd seen plenty of families like yours, but there was just something about you all that caught and fixed my attention.

"You had your arm wrapped around your mother, supporting her as she sagged in your arms, sobbing. Your jaw was clenched in stubborn refusal of giving in to your grief even though I could see it under the surface… I saw strength in you, a characteristic that I rarely saw when people were faced with death. Even when you asked me about your father's condition, your voice didn't register your distress.

"It was only when your father demanded that you and your mother be removed from the hospital that I saw your strength waver."

I stopped talking for a moment as Edward shuffled in his seat as he tried to suppress the look of pain on his face. I could tell by his reaction that he remembered that day as vividly as I did.

"I was saddened when a week later you returned with your sick mother. I had hoped that you would escape the disease, but unfortunately very few did.

"Over the next week, I found that I was drawn more and more to you both as I got to know you. I was desperately lonely and craved some kind of connection. I worked with people every day, but most humans… instinctively shied away from me."

I paused after I said the words "most humans," trying to gauge Edward's reaction. However, his eyes had returned to their hardened state.

"Neither of you reacted to me in the way that most humans did. You didn't cringe when I came too close, so I found myself staying with you both longer than was natural. You see, beings such as myself do not sleep, so I constantly had to be aware that I needed to leave the hospital periodically to feign rest. However, once you became sick and your mother's condition had worsened, I became afraid that while I was gone one of your conditions would deteriorate too rapidly and I would arrive too late. The disease happened like that. Victims would seem to be fighting off the illness, but without any warning they would die in a matter of hours.

"It was during one of these periods, when I had been at your mother's bedside for almost 24 hours without eating or sleeping that your mother asked me to save you. I told her that I was doing everything I could for you both, but she gripped my arm tightly and stared intently into my eyes with her fevered ones and said, 'No, I want _you_ to save Edward. He can't die. _You_ can't let him...' It was the last coherent thing that she said, so I was never able to find out whether she'd truly known what she was asking of me… However, after seeing death all around us, she must have known that I wouldn't have been able to save you by natural means.

"And out of loneliness, I decided to change you if you agreed. I'd been alone for a long time, and I didn't want to let go of the connection that I'd made with you and your mother.

"So, minutes after your mother passed, I took you from the hospital to my home. It was easy to do because you were so sick that you didn't even notice that you'd been moved and I was one of the few doctors left, so no one even noticed that we were gone.

"I had to remove you from the hospital because even centuries later I remembered vividly the agony of my change and how difficult it was to stay silent. And frankly, I wasn't sure that I would be able to change you. All I knew was that I'd been bitten by a vampire and I'd assumed that it was the bite that caused the change, but I couldn't be sure-"

I was interrupted by the sound of Edward pushing himself violently away from the table. However, before he could leave, I grabbed his arm. Not hard enough to hurt him, but I made sure that I touched his bare skin where the sleeve of his shirt had ridden up.

"Let-" Edward began, but at my ice cold touch, his words caught in his throat and he stared at me with wide eyes.

I kept my eyes locked with his as I continued talking.

"Once I had you settled in one of the bedrooms, I stood at your bedside for a long time wondering whether I could and should change you into a vampire like me.

"Finally, I decided to ask you because I wanted to give you the choice that I never had," I said gently.

I could see the fear in Edward's eyes, but I had to continue. I gently pulled on his arm and he woodenly sat back down at the table, his scared eyes never leaving my face.

"I was turned when I was 23 by a vampire that I'd tracked down after he and his companions had been hunting in the city.

"I was born in 1643, the son of an Anglican pastor in London, England. My father was a devout man who spent his life attempting to rid the world of evil. He raised me to believe in the supernatural, but I was taught that all of it was evil and needed to be eradicated. One of my earliest memories is of going on a hunt with my father during which we pulled two young women from their homes and tried them as witches.

"Over the years, my father had groomed me to be a hunter like him and it was all that I knew. Therefore, when my father grew too old to hunt, I took over for him.

"I'd been taught about supernatural beings, but it wasn't until the night of my change that I actually encountered one. I'd discovered that there was a group of vampires living in the sewers of the city. For days, we'd been finding bodies drained of blood strewn in different parts of the city. At first, we'd thought that they were animal attacks. However, when the bodies continued to pile up in populated areas, I became more and more certain that an animal wasn't the culprit. An animal wouldn't have been able to get in and out of the city that many times without being seen.

"I spent several nights hunting before I found them. There were four of them—two men and two women. At first, I'd thought that they were beggars who had sought shelter from the elements underground. However, the longer that I watched them the more I saw that they seemed to have abilities that normal humans did not.

"So, I set a trap for them. I had some of my father's men block off one of the exits to their underground nest by collapsing the wall, leaving only one exit. At the noise of the collapse, the vampires were forced to leave through the only exit left to them.

"In their panic, at seeing the mob waiting for them, they scattered in all directions.

"Being younger and faster than my father's men, I caught up with one of them quickly.

"I chased him down an alley which came to a dead end. I remember being thrilled because I knew it would be the first time that anyone had caught one of these supernatural beings.

"Unfortunately, I hadn't realized how strong and fast a vampire could be. When he saw that we were hidden from the main street, he attacked me in a blur. After being bitten, I fell to the ground because the pain was so excruciating. But even amidst the pain, I realized that according to the lore that I'd been taught since I was a child, I was now mostly likely a vampire. Knowing that my father would kill me, I crawled away to hide and hope that the stories were incorrect.

"I found a cellar before the pain became too great and buried myself in rotting potatoes for three days as I transformed.

"When I finally regained complete consciousness, I realized that all hope was lost. I was a vampire. I tried to destroy myself by jumping from the highest building that I could find and drowning in the ocean, but nothing worked. I was indestructible," I paused as I heard a rustling in the doorway.

Bella entered the room quietly and leaned against the wall. Edward didn't seem to notice because his attention was completely fixated on me in a disturbingly empty way. The fear in his eyes had slowly faded as I'd continued talking but the look that replaced the fear was more worrisome for the fact that it lacked any kind of emotion.

I had no choice but to continue with my story and hope that something that I would say would trigger Edward's memory.

"I was so repelled by what I was that I avoided all human contact. Over days and weeks my hunger grew and I felt myself losing more and more of my grip on sanity. So, I retreated further into wooded areas where I wouldn't encounter people.

"I was on the last shred of my will power when a herd of deer happened to cross my path. I was so desperate to quench my hunger that I attacked them. After killing most of the herd, I realized that my hunger had lessened and my mind had cleared.

"It was at this moment that I realized that I didn't have to feed on humans. I could survive on animal blood.

"Over the course of two centuries, I was even able to build up immunity to human blood. I went to university and got my medical degree in order to give back to humanity some of what I had taken during my youth. I had come to realize that the people that my father and I had hunted could have been innocent beings, like me, who were trying to be good.

"Eventually, I made my way to America and moved from state to state, practicing medicine in different hospitals along the way."

I paused at that moment for an unnecessary breath before continuing. The breath heightened my senses and cleared my head. The next part of my story was critical and had to be handled delicately.

"So, you see, because of my history, I couldn't just change you without giving you a choice. I wanted to give you the choice that I'd never been given. When I asked you, I was both relieved and scared when you nodded and then said 'yes.'

"So, before I could change my mind, I bit you… It took several days for your change to happen and when you woke up we left Chicago in order for you to get used to your new life away from humans. As time passed, you adjusted and accepted the 'vegetarian lifestyle' of living on animal blood like me. And for the first time in as long as I could remember, I wasn't lonely. We travelled the world together and even though over time our family grew to include Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice, you've always held a very important place in my life. You've become like a son to me, but you've also always been my friend."

I looked at him, hoping that he could hear the sincerity in my voice. I needed him to understand that I didn't turn him in order to hurt him. I did it because I'd been lonely and wanted to save my friend.

I watched his face for any sign of belief or disbelief, but he remained unreadable. While I paused, Bella came to the table and took a seat at between us.

"Over the years, however, I became more and more worried that you remained alone without a partner. While you never expressed it, I knew that you were lonely. Even though we'd always been a close family, we couldn't fill the emptiness inside of you that existed without a mate. I think that you'd resigned yourself to the idea that you were not meant to find someone and so you filled your life with music and books.

"After 80 years of being on your own, we were shocked when you met Bella Swan at Forks High School. I think that you were the most shocked of all. At first, it seemed like you weren't able to recognize your feelings for her, so they came out as hate. We were afraid that your hatred would draw attention to us and we would need to leave. However, your anger seemed to change overnight to an all consuming love that defied everything. It quickly became clear that you had found your soul mate. The fact that you were a vampire and she was human seemed insurmountable, but you overcame it. You even proposed to her and she agreed to marry you."

At my words, Bella reached out and took Edward's hand in hers, weaving her fingers with his.

"However, our lives have never been easy. We are not the only supernatural beings in this world and unfortunately we have had our share of conflicts with them over the years. It was during one of these conflicts that you took Bella deep into the forest to keep her safe while the rest of us stayed to fight. We thought that you'd both be safe together away from the fighting, but we were wrong.

"We won the fight but we lost you. We have no idea what happened that caused you to be taken away from us or what turned you human, but I feel that from the scraps of memories that you have—Oscar was involved. He is the key to all of this and that's why we have to find him," I finished with a sigh of relief.

It was done. For better of for worse, the truth was out.

"Edward?" I said, looking at him for some kind of response.

He stared at me for a moment longer before speaking.

"Are you done?" he said blandly.

"What?" I began in confusion.

"I said, 'Are... you... done?'" This time there was an edge to his voice.

"Edward...listen to him," Bella said softly.

Bella's voice surprised me. I'd been so completely immersed in my story that I'd forgotten that she'd joined us.

Edward turned towards her, but the coldness in his eyes didn't disappear.

"Bella, you can't be serious... This is ridiculous. Vampires? There's no such thing as a vampire..." he said with a snort of disgust.

"Show him, Carlisle," Bella said, turning to look at me steadily.

"Come with me," I said, standing up and moving towards the sliding glass doors that led to the backyard.

"Bella, I'm not listening to this... You're both insane if you believe this nonsense," I heard him say from behind me, but I kept walking knowing that Bella would get him to follow.

Once outside, I hesitated for only a moment before stepping out from under the shadowed eave of the house into the direct sunlight.

As I let the heat of the sun soak into my skin, I crouched down and picked up a rock the size of a baseball. Without looking at Edward, I wrapped my hand around it and crumbled it to dust.

At the end of my demonstration, I looked at Edward for the first time.

His eyes were wide with shock, and I watched as all the color drained from his face as fear returned to his eyes.

I waited for him to say something, but he stood as still as a statue staring into my eyes like a deer trapped in the head lights of a car.

His heart was thundering so loudly that I thought even Bella would be able to hear it. This feeling of fear pouring off of him caused me to make a fatal mistake.

"Edward..." I began, taking a step towards him.

When I began to move, Edward suddenly came alive. Lunging towards Bella, he grabbed her arm and tried to run. However, Bella didn't move.

"No-" she begged.

Bella's resistance caught him off guard, causing him to stumble. He reached out to grab the edge of a picnic table, but it overturned as his weight fell upon it. Instead, it collapsed on top of him as he fell, leaving a gash in his cheek.

The smell of blood in the air was immediate.

Time seemed to stand still, as we watched his face go through a range of emotions- disbelief, fear, anger, horror.

As he stared at us, he reached up with an unsteady hand to his cheek and brought it away with blood on his fingertips.

His face grew paler than it already was, but he still used the edge of the overturned picnic table to pull himself to his feet.

Bella reached out for him, but he staggered away from her, almost falling again.

"Get away!" he said, in a raspy voice, staring at us both with fear.

"Edward, listen to us. We need to explain," Bella begged.

But Edward was beyond listening.

I could see confusion in his eyes as shock started to settle in.

"Edward, please just take a deep breath. Everything is going to—" Bella began.

"Don't you dare say that everything is going to be okay! Nothing is okay!" he yelled.

His confusion had turned to anger at lightning speed as he whipped his head towards her.

My heart dropped at the anger in his voice.

I'd expected him to hate me, but I never anticipated that his anger would turn towards Bella.

"Edward, please... Just listen…" she begged, but I could see her will crumbling under his anger.

"I trusted you… How could you do this? How could you bring me into this insanity?" he shouted angrily.

Trust- a little word, which takes so long to build a world around, but only a moment to tear apart.

Edward looked away from Bella only to stare down at the ground. He absent-mindedly reached up and wiped his cheek with the back of his hand as blood dripped down his chin. However, as he brought his hand away, he suddenly froze.

He looked up at me slowly and I saw his fear jump exponentially in his eyes. He started to back away from me, while holding his bloodied hands behind his back.

I realized sadly that he thought that I would attack him because of all of the blood.

"Edward, I promise that I won't-"

He staggered backwards more quickly, which caused him to fall again.

A sob escaped Bella's lips as Edward continued to scramble backwards until his back was pressed up against a fence. He looked around desperately, realizing that he had no place to go. His breathing started to escalate and I was becoming afraid that he would pass out from hyperventilating.

"Edward, I promise that I will not hurt you. I'll wait in the house until you`re ready to talk to me," I said gently, hoping that my words would soothe him.

After looking at Bella to make sure that she was going to be okay, I cautiously backed away from him and into the house. Esme was waiting for me and together we stood looking out the window, watching Bella and Edward's interaction.

"Edward, please talk to me," Bella begged as she crouched down next to him.

At first, he didn't respond. He was staring off into space his hands clenching and unclenching in his lap. However, when she reached out and touched his shoulder, he cringed away from her.

"Don't touch me! Just don't touch me!" he shouted, causing Bella to yank her hand away.

However, she didn't retreat. Instead, she sat down in front of him.

Esme squeezed my hand as we both watched on sadly. I felt like we were being voyeurs, but I couldn't risk Edward overreacting and running away or injuring Bella in his distress.

"You're family and I decided that it would be better to wait before telling you," Bella said, gently. "I wanted to tell you, but you were so sick when we first found you. You didn't remember anything, not even me. How could I have then laid all of this at your feet? I didn't want to hurt you," she said in a small voice. "I love you."

Instead of looking at her as she spoke, Edward continued to stare at the house as if he could sense Esme and me watching. After sitting that way for a long time, he spoke.

"You keep telling me that they're my family…" he said. There was an edge to his voice when he spoke that I didn't like. It sounded brittle as if he were about to break at any moment.

_Be careful, Bella, _I cautioned, wishing that she could hear me.

"If what Carlisle said is true… then... that means... I'm…" he stuttered.

His body began to stiffen as he started to make the connection between what I'd told him and the reality of his own existence.

"Yes…" Bella whispered.

"Say it, Bella… Tell me what I am…" Edward said, in a hoarse voice.

She took a deep breath before responding. "You were a vampire, Edward. But now you're human."

At her words, Edward struggled to his feet, but was only able to stagger a few steps before collapsing to the ground again.

"No, no, no, no, no, no... " he mumbled over and over again in denial.

"Please, Edward... you have to listen to me... Let me explain..."

But he was past the point of listening. He sat up with his hands gripped tight in his hair and started to rock back and forth as he retreated within himself.

_Go to him, Bella. _I willed my thoughts to her.

As if hearing me, Bella crawled towards Edward and without even pausing wrapped her arms around him.

They sat like that for what seemed like hours, with Edward rocking and Bella holding him.

Just as the sun began to set, Edward seemed to gain some amount of control and pulled away from Bella.

The look that he directed at her was so full of despair, betrayal, and anger that my heart broke for her.

"You knew...all this time… you knew," he said, turning to her. "How could you not tell me? How could you...let me believe that I am...?" he looked down at himself, before looking back at her. "How could you let me believe that I am a...man?"

"Oh God, Edward! You are a man!"

He went on, not listening. "All this time...you let me believe that I'd only lost my memory!" he shouted at her, accusingly.

His anger was quickly building as the pieces began to fall together for him.

"I told you that there was something wrong with me, that I was dangerous, but you kept saying that everything would be okay. You've been lying to me for the past month! We've spent hours together talking… You agreed to marry me… and today we even…" he trailed off, before finishing the sentence.

I wondered what he was about to say for a moment. Then, the realization hit me. They'd made love.

Esme burrowed herself under my arm and laid her head against my chest. In turn, I hugged her to me tightly, burying my face in her hair.

"Edward, please. Don't you see? The reason that I agreed to marry you… The reason that I made love with you is because I _know_ that everything will be okay," she pleaded.

He just stared at her with the look of someone who felt like he was alone in the world. Eventually, he looked away only to stare down at his bloodied hands in silence.

They stayed that way for a long time before Bella broke the silence.

"It's late," Bella said, looking up at the darkening sky.

"Too late," Edward responded bitterly, never looking up.


	20. Running

**A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for adding me to your favorites. I hope you like this next chapter because it was a lot of fun to write. ;)**

* * *

**EDWARD**

I held onto the sink with one hand, and turned on the cold water as I prepared to splash my face to clear my head. But at the thought, I felt the tightness of my cheek and looked up, catching sight of my reflection. The left side of my face was beginning to turn black and blue around the bandage and my eye was swelling shut. I grimaced in pain as I pulled off the tape and looked under it. The cut was enflamed, but it had stopped bleeding so I pulled the bandage the rest of the way off. Staring at my deformed face in the mirror, I tried to figure out who exactly I was now. The damage to my face felt like a reflection of what was going on inside of me. I gripped the edge of the sink so hard that my fingers hurt as I tried to accept what I'd been told about my existence.

"Edward," Bella called from the other side of the bathroom door.

I looked behind me quickly, but relaxed when I remembered that I'd locked the door.

"Edward" she cried, her voice breaking, "Please, open the door...please!"

I turned away from her voice and resumed staring at myself in the mirror. I couldn't face her. It hurt too much to even think about Bella right now.

When Carlisle had first begun talking, I'd thought that he was cruelly making a joke of my loss of memory. However, his freezing cold touch had changed everything and been the moment that I realized that he truly was not human. In some ways, I`d been incredibly naïve. I'd always sensed that there was something unnatural about the Cullens, and yet I'd never truly thought about what they could be. But when Carlisle stepped out into the sun, I couldn't fool myself any longer. His skin had glittered like millions of tiny shards of glass refracting light. It was blinding at first, but once my eyes had adjusted he did something even more shocking and abnormal. He picked up a rock the size of my fist and crumbled it into dust with a mere flexing of his hand.

I still couldn't bring myself to believe that he was what he'd said he was. He was nothing like the… _monsters_… that I'd read about in stories. I couldn't bring myself to even say the word because it was too fantastical.

However, there were things that Carlisle remembered from when we'd first met in the hospital, which proved to me that what I remembered of my past was true. For this reason, when he'd told me that I'd also been one of… _them_, I had a hard time denying it. Everything he'd told me and what I'd seen when he stepped out into the sun seemed to fit too seamlessly with my last memories of life.

_I looked up and was blinded by the face of an angel. The angel's sparkling face smiled at me as it took my hand._

_I heard a voice whisper in my ear, "Edward, can you understand me?"_

_I nodded._

"_Your mother begged me to save you. I can do it, but it means that I will have to change you forever. Do you understand? Do you want me to change you, Edward?" the angel whispered._

_I nodded._

"_Say it," the voice said._

"_Yes…"_

After looking at myself one more time in the mirror, I took a deep breath as I made my decision. Quietly, I pushed open the bathroom window and crawled out into the sunlight.

* * *

I hurried down the street, heading towards what seemed to be the more populated area. The Cullens would notice that I was missing soon, but I knew that they wouldn`t follow me because monsters like themselves wouldn't want to be seen by others in the sun. Bella was another matter. I started moving more quickly, not wanting her to catch up to me when she noticed that I was missing.

The farther I went, the more everything became strange and disorienting. There was nothing familiar about the city streets- the buildings, the cars. So much had changed and so much was out of joint, that it was easier to think of my surroundings in terms of a nightmare. It was like my 1918 world had been superimposed with another more disturbing one. Worse though was that the sights and smells around me only reinforced what Carlisle had told me. I'd been living as a monster for over 80 years. This was not my world - I should have died in 1918.

As I approached the more crowded areas of the city, it started to feel more like a gothic novel from the imagination of a half-mad writer. Cars were parked haphazardly on the street, some even blocking it. There were shards of glass from broken windows littering the sidewalks and garbage everywhere. In the distance, I could even hear sirens.

As I walked carefully down the sidewalk, a newspaper drifted across it, wrapping itself around one of my legs as the wind caught it. Bending down to pick it up, the headline jumped out at me.

**KILLER FLU EPIDEMIC LEADS TO MASSIVE LOOTING IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA**

**SEATTLE POST- October 19, 2009**

I threw the paper to the ground and kept walking. Everything was so familiar and strange all at the same time. If I had not seen the date, I could have believed that this was my own time.

As I approached what seemed to be the center of the city, I began to see people. Those that I saw seemed shell-shocked. They had the dazed thousand-yard stare that soldiers frequently had when they returned from war. Disconnected from their surroundings, they walked the streets as if they were in a different world from the rest of us.

One such man was sitting on the curb across the street from me. The young man in a rumpled suit was pawing through a briefcase, only to haul out papers and throw them into the air, letting the wind catch them. At first, I'd thought he was sick because he was sniffling, but his red rimmed eyes showed me that he was just another traumatized survivor. He looked right through me as if I were a ghost, which caused me to flinch. I was supposed to have died a long time ago, so essentially I was a ghost.

The next person that I encountered was an elderly woman. She was a small and fragile-looking woman with white hair that was thinning on top. Even though she seemed to be carrying everything she owned in shopping bags that she dragged behind her, she moved quickly as if she had a purpose. I had to step quickly out of her way because she seemed oblivious to my presence as she flew past me.

I continued walking for some time seeing no one else on the street until I turned a corner and saw an intersection ahead. There was a bright metallic yellow car parked diagonally across the road. This was not unusual. Many of the cars that I'd seen were parked in strange locations as if people had just stopped driving and abandoned them. However, this time, as I approached, I noticed that there was a man lying on the top of its roof, wearing shorts and nothing else. Thinking that it was a dead body, I quickly looked away.

"Is he dead?" A woman's voice spoke from behind me, causing me to jump.

I whipped around and saw that it was the old woman who had passed me earlier.

"What?" I asked.

"Is he dead?" she questioned, pointing towards the man on the car.

Following her finger, I looked back at the dead body on the car, but was startled when at the sound of our voices the man sat up and waved at us. A shiver ran down my spine at the vacant smile on his face and I backed away from him. However, instead of coming to meet us, he laid back down, pulling out a bag of food. He shoved the contents into his mouth, crunching loudly in the quiet that surrounded us.

"No," I said hoarsely to the woman before turning and quickly walking away.

"Where are you going?" the woman asked as I left her behind, but the tone of her voice sounded disinterested, almost as if it was an automatic response. So, I didn't say anything as I left her behind.

I turned right at the intersection and saw in the distance what seemed to be a park. Hoping that I could be alone, I headed towards it.

When I entered the park, I saw that there were even more people. They all seemed pretty much the same and I supposed that on some level I myself wasn't much different. They were dazed, their speech muddled- human beings in shock by what was happening around them. While I was in the midst of my own turmoil, others were experiencing their own.

I sat down on a park bench as far from the others as possible, but I was still able to overhear the conversations going on around me. They all had stories to tell, but they were mostly the same. Their friends and relatives were dead or dying. There had been fighting in the streets and someone said that there had even been a fire a few blocks down.

A few people in the park were sick, but there were no dead people. Just like in 1918, it was as if people had uneasy thoughts of being outdoors when they felt the end was near.

Not wanting to share in the others' tragedies, I tried to block them out, but the minute that I was able to tune out their voices, memories from earlier in the day hit me full force.

"_Bad things are going to happen, Bella. You heard Dr. Cullen… There is something going on inside me and I feel it… something dangerous is fighting to get out. I try to forget about it because all I want is to be with you, but I know it's there lurking inside of me."_

_"Edward…" she murmured, but I could hear the fear in her voice as well._

"_Bella, look me in the eye and tell me that I`m wrong... Tell me that there isn`t something dangerous inside of me."_

_I looked at her, desperately hoping that she could tell me something that would calm my fear, but instead she began to cry._

"_Bella, please don`t cry. I can`t take it. I`m sorry that I'm scaring you."_

_Despair filled me as her tears confirmed what I'd thought. She couldn't deny that there was something wrong with me._

_Not able to take it any longer, I lunged for her and pulled her to me roughly. _

"_Edward… I… I…" she began, but before she could say anything more, I crashed my mouth down on hers. _

_I didn't want to think anymore. I didn't want to feel powerless. _

_A moan of relief shuddered through me as Bella responded to my embrace. I threw my fear and anxiety into kissing her, the force tumbling us both backwards onto the bed. I pulled roughly at her, the panic inside of me turning to a need that created an ache deep inside. A part of me said I was being too rough, but the ache of half-pleasure, half-pain, was like a coil in my abdomen that was tightening with every breath._

_Bella's arms snaked around me as she became caught up in my frenzy. Pulling me tight against her, she kissed me fiercely. I fought to control the desire that raged stronger than anything I could imagine inside me, but Bella`s responsiveness weakened my resolve. _

"_Good God, Bella... Tell me to stop," I gasped before crashing my lips against hers again. _

"_Edward," she moaned and the needy whimper in her voice sent another painful jolt of desire straight through me._ "_Don't stop," she gasped as she trailed kisses along my jaw and down my throat. "Just kiss me." _

_With a groan, I parted my lips, my mouth hungry against hers. I wanted her. I realized at that moment. I wanted her like a husband wanted his wife. I needed her._

_Before I could process these thoughts, Bella rolled onto her back, pulling me with her. As my body rested on top of hers, a current of electricity coursed to every part of my body. A low moan escaped me as I pushed my body against hers seeking some kind of relief from not only the ache that was throbbing inside of me, but also the fear that was bubbling just under the surface. The friction pushed me into sensory overload, which was exactly how I wanted to feel. I wanted to drown all other thoughts beyond my desire for her. _

_Gasping for air, I broke away from her kiss and put my forehead to hers. "God, I want you so much," I growled, which shocked me. I'd never meant to voice the thoughts in my head. They were wrong. I couldn't do this to her. _

_I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment as reality began to come back to me. But when I met her eyes as I prepared to apologize, the words stuck in my throat. She smiled softly at me, causing love to overwhelm the desperation that had been fuelling my every movement._

"_I love you Bella," I whispered, before gently returning my lips to hers and getting lost in the feeling of her body under mine. _

_Suddenly, however, Bella put her hand against my chest. _

"_Wait," she said breathlessly._

"_What's wrong?" I asked, looking at her in panic. "Do you want me to stop?" I could hear the neediness in my own voice and cringed. _

_Instead of pulling away, Bella rolled us over until this time she was lying on top of me. I didn't know how to respond, so I just lay there in confused embarrassment. _

"_Bella, I'm sorry. I shouldn't…" I stammered, but she laid a finger across my lips._

"_Shhh," she whispered, but I pulled away from her again_

"_Bella, we can't do this. It isn't right…" I said in a strangled whisper._

"_What isn't right?" she asked, leaning down to kiss me again._

"_What I mean is that I don't expect anything from you," I said gently, wanting her to understand that I didn't want to take advantage of her._

_She sat up straight and the look of hurt was evident in her eyes. _

"_I don't understand…" she murmured._

_I cupped her face in my hands in order to look her in the eyes as I explained. _

"_Bella, please don't be upset. I just don't want to take advantage of you. We're not married. I know that. I don't want you to do something you'll regret," I whispered._

_Understanding dawned in her eyes._

"_Edward, I knew from the moment that I saw you that there would never be anyone else. We are meant to be together forever. You are not taking anything away from me." _

"_You must know that I want to be with you. I want to with every fiber of my being, but it isn't right," I groaned, closing my eyes._

"_Edward, look at me," she said gently but firmly._

_At her tone, I opened my eyes in surprise. Instead of looking hurt, she met my eyes with a steady gaze. _

"_You disappeared only a few months before our wedding. We'd decided to wait before making love until our wedding night, but then you were gone and I thought you were dead. Every day I regretted not being with you. Every day for three years I wished that we had not chosen to wait."_

"_Oh God Bella, are you sure?" I asked, kissing her softly._

"_Yes," she said emphatically, staring into my eyes as she caressed my cheek. _

"_Don't you feel the same?" she asked me._

"_I have never wanted anything more." _

_I knew that everything could change in a matter of hours. All we had was now and I felt just as she did that if I let go of this moment, I would regret it for the rest of my life._

_My hands came up to cup her face, holding her still as I captured her lips with mine. As our kiss became more passionate, I felt her begin to tug on my shirt. I broke our kiss only long enough to pull it over my head and toss it to the side before returning to her lips. As I moved from her mouth to her neck, I molded my hand to her breast, tracing it gently with my thumb._

"_Bella, are you sure?" I asked again. _

"_Yes, I'm sure," she said with a sigh and before I could even register what was happening, she'd pulled off her own shirt and bra. _

_As our bare chests came together, a shudder wracked my body. The heat of her naked flesh was like nothing I'd ever felt before. _

_I stopped thinking and just allowed myself to feel, moving on instinct. I kissed down her neck and then between her breasts tasting the salt on her skin. Bella's body arched under mine as my lips travelled up the curve of her breast sucking on the tender flesh there. A whimper escaped her lips and one of her hands tangled in my hair holding me to her as I focused all of my attention on the skin under my lips, moving from one breast to the other. At every touch of my lips, Bella's grip on my hair tightened. The pain accompanied by the pleasure of tasting her skin made me moan. _

_When Bella's hand settled on me for the first time, my breath caught in my throat breaking my focus. I had to pull my mouth away from her because I was suddenly gulping for air. After a few hesitant strokes, Bella increased her hand's pressure, causing me to inhale sharply._

"_Am I doing it right, Edward?" she asked nervously._

"_Yes… yes…" was all that I could get out. _

_As her hand pressed against me, she buried her head into the crook of my neck pressing her lips against my skin. But after a few more strokes she stopped. I groaned in complaint at the loss until I felt the tips of her fingers drag along the top of my shorts. My breath hitched as she wormed her hand into them. _

"_Oh God," I gasped, unprepared for the sensation._

_I couldn't stop myself from pushing into her hand at the excruciating pleasure that her touch invoked. However, it was at this moment that my brain started to fight against my body again, telling me that I shouldn't be doing this. I was losing more and more of my control as a primal part of me started to emerge._

_Stop! Stop! You could hurt her! My mind screamed out. _

_This snapped me somewhat out of my pleasure filled haze._

"_Bella, please, I could hurt you," I gasped._

"_No, you can't," she panted. "Not any more… Let go," she whispered in my ear._

_So, I did._

_With a groan, I rolled onto my side and wrapped my arm around her waist before pulling her hard against me. When the intensity of her hand on me had built to a feverish pitch, I pulled away from her quickly. I didn't want it to end that way, but I could feel that I was right on the edge. _

_Once I had my body under control, I turned towards her again and began to explore, moving from her lips, down her chin, to her neck, breasts, and stomach. But when I let my hand travel lower, I started to feel uncertain. I knew what I wanted to do but I didn't know what she wanted. I rested my hand on her hip, unable to move forward as if I were frozen._

"_Bella… I don't know what to do…" I whispered finally in embarrassment._

"_It's okay…" she whispered pulling my lips to hers again. "I don't know either." _

_I kissed her hard as she reached down and began to unbutton her pants. I pulled away to tug both her pants and panties down her legs and then off. When she pulled me back to her again, I put up no resistance as she guided my hand. As I began to touch her at first hesitantly and then with more confidence, her breathing became shallower as I'm sure mine already was._

_I listened in wonder as Bella came undone. I'd had no idea that a woman could experience such heights of pleasure and it was a gift to learn such a thing. _

"_I love you," I gasped, enthralled with the changing expressions on her face._

_She started to breathe more quickly and the sounds that she made were almost whimpers. I was so fascinated by the sounds that I was startled when Bella's hand encircled me again. _

_The sensation of touching her and having her touch me caused me to start to pant as an indescribable feeling started to build inside of me._

"_Bella, you have to stop," I said breathlessly and pulled her hand away._

"_Edward…" she questioned, but I met her mouth with mine._

_I wanted to make it good for her, so I didn't want to be distracted with my own desire. By watching and feeling the infinitesimal changes in her body, I was able to gauge what she wanted. As she became caught up in the moment, Bella clutched my hair close to the roots, locking my mouth to hers. Every muscle in her body quivered at the tension that was building inside of her. Then, suddenly, as if a damn had broken, Bella broke away from my mouth with a cry as her body arched up off the bed. _

_Lying silently next to her, I stroked her face as I watched her begin to relax and her breathing slow. _

"_I love you so much, Edward," she sighed as she rolled towards me and kissed my chest._

"_I love you too, my Bella," I whispered, kissing the top of her head._

_Then, her hand settled once again on me. Gripping me firmly, she sucked on the skin of my neck, causing a shiver to run through me. _

"_Bella, you don't have to," I stuttered, not wanting her to feel pressured. _

"_Why? Why wouldn't I want to make you feel good too?" she said in my ear._

_I didn't know how to answer and I was quickly losing all ability for coherent thought anyway. My eyes closed as her fingers fumbled with the button of my shorts. As she worked on lowering the zipper, I turned to her and kissed her once more. Our embrace started to pick up in intensity again and soon our kisses were fast and furious as if our lives depended on what the other was giving. _

_Her hands wormed their way into my pants, working to slide them down over my hips. When she got them to my thighs, she started using her feet to push them further down my legs. Her efforts to remove my pants were halted though when she reached my sneaker covered feet. So, I broke our heated kiss, leaving us both gasping for air in order to quickly yank off my shoes, socks, and pants._

_As I laid back down next to her and pulled her naked body against mine, just the feeling of her skin made my body shake with anticipation._

_Rubbing her nose along my collarbone and up to my ear, Bella whispered, "Edward, I want you to make love to me." _

_My breath hitched and I stilled her hand that was moving restlessly over my body as my rational brain clicked back on._

"_Bella-" I started but she interrupted what I was about to say._

"_I need you," she whispered, in almost a plea._

"_Bella, are you sure?" I asked her again, but this time I tilted her face up to mine because I wanted to see in her eyes that she was absolutely certain._

"_Yes," she said releasing me only to pull me once again over on top of her. As I covered her naked body with mine, we both groaned at the sensation. I buried my face in her neck momentarily overwhelmed by the magnitude of what we were about to do. Laying there for a moment, I tried to calm myself by just soaking in the feeling of her bare flesh under mine. _

"_Please Edward..." Bella whispered as she ran her fingers gently through my hair._

_Kissing her neck softly, I nodded._

_Propping myself up on my elbow, I reached down between us, searching. I felt awkward and unsure until I felt Bella's hand gently guide me into her. _

_Bella's eyes clenched in pain when I pushed forward too quickly, so I stopped not knowing whether I should continue. The primal side of me was screaming at me to move, but I held perfectly still as I stared down at her._

"_Bella, are you okay?" I said, "Please say something, love. I need to know that you're okay…"_

"_Keep going," she whimpered._

_I was worried about causing Bella pain, yet my mind was slowly being consumed with my own need. I wanted to thrust forward, but I held on to my last shred of control as I forced myself to move slowly. Then, suddenly I was inside of her. I rested my head on her shoulder overcome with pleasure before lifting it to kiss Bella's cheek, tasting the salt of her tears. _

"_Are you okay?" I gasped._

"_I'm okay. Just give me a minute," she said, but there were tears trickling down her cheeks._

_I wiped her tears away and looked at her with worry. But after a moment, she opened her eyes and leaned up to kiss me before settling back down with a tremulous smile._

"_Oh God Bella… I love you so much…" I moaned._

_She pulled my head down to hers again, kissing me gently before taking a deep breath and nodding. I started to move slowly inside of her, not wanting to cause her any more pain._ _However, soon I was caught up in the rhythm of our bodies, which caused me to squeeze my eyes shut at the sweet agony of each thrust. _

_As the intensity continued to build inside of me, I rested my forehead against hers. Our panting breaths caused the heat to amplify between us. I opened my eyes as Bella brushed my sweat soaked hair off my forehead. Her beautiful brown eyes were open and while the pain was still evident it had lessened. I was sure that her eyes mirrored my own as we watched each other in fascination, our bodies moving together. _

_As the passion between us reached a feverish peak, Bella moved her legs so they were wrapped around my hips. We both moaned at the change as she started to push her feet down against my backside to meet my thrusts. _

_When I reached my climax, I nearly screamed at the shock of it and buried my head in Bella's neck panting for air. _

_At Bella's sharp gasp, however, I forced my eyes open wanting to see her reach her climax as well. _

_It was beautiful. _

_Her eyes at first widened almost as if in surprise and then squeezed shut as her body clenched tightly around me. _

_Breathing together, we both slowly relaxed into sleepy contentment. _

_Eventually, worried that I was crushing her, I pulled away and flopped onto my back, pulling her against my side._

_My last thought before sleep was that this was only the beginning of our life together. For once, I looked at the future ahead of me and smiled._

I realized I was crying a little and I felt a wave of disgust that I was sitting here on a bench in a park, crying in the sun like some wretched old man.

I lurched to my feet and started to walk aimlessly. I had nowhere to go, but I knew that I couldn't sit still and wallow in my despair.

"Edward?" a voice spoke from behind me. At first, the sound of her voice filled me with joy because the memory of our lovemaking was still fresh in my mind. But the moment was fleeting as I remembered everything that lay between us.

I began to move quickly towards the exit of the park wanting to get away from her. However, Bella must have started running because I could hear her footsteps and then her breathing as she closed the distance.

Soon, she was upon me, grabbing my arm and pulling me to a stop.

I didn't turn towards her, but she stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"I know you hate me right now, bu —" she began, but I interrupted.

"I don't hate you, Bella… I don't know you…" I said harshly, trying to step by her. However, she moved with me, continuing to block my path.

"You do know me, Edward. You know me better than anyone, even without your memories. And I know you. You feel betrayed because I lied, but you know me enough to understand that I didn't do it to hurt you. None of us did. Right or wrong, we did it to protect you."

"I can't accept that Bella. Everything has been a lie, a horrible nightmarish lie. I have been dead for over 80 years. I'm just an animated corpse."

She placed her hand on my chest, resting it over my heart.

"A corpse doesn't have a heart beat." She then moved her hand to my cheek. "A corpse doesn't feel warm and alive..." she said, softly.

I felt myself weakening at the touch of her hand on my face because I wanted to believe her. However, what was done was done. We couldn't turn back time.

"It's too late, Bella," I said sadly, before turning around and starting to walk away from her.

"Edward, please wait! You can't leave me… Not again," Bella begged.

"Stay away from me, Bella…" I strode away from her and out of the park, but I found my way blocked by a car at the gate. I turned around to find a new direction, but found myself face to face with her again.

"Edward, you can't run away. It's not safe," she said, firmly.

"You would know all about that wouldn't you. All of the time that you kept me in the dark, you all knew that it wasn't safe… that I wasn't safe," I snapped bitterly.

"Edward, be reasonable…"

"Reasonable? Be reasonable? That's a very interesting thing to ask. It would seem to me that after this afternoon my only reasonable reaction would be to get as far away from all of you as possible. It would seem to me that I'm the only reasonable one. This can only end one way- horribly," I snarled and turned away from her once again.

"Edward, I love you… Don't… don't you love me?"

Her words were like a blow to the stomach, but I kept my emotions buried. I loved her with every fiber of my being, but I was a monster. I was the lion and she was the lamb.

"It's too late for us," I said, somberly. "You would be better off if you stayed away from me. I'm not good for you."

"Yes, you are! Edward, please!" she begged.

"I'm leaving," I said, before continuing to walk away. "Don't follow me."

"I can't let you go. I won't do it," she cried desperately from behind me.

She grabbed my arm again, but before I could yank it away, I heard the sound of coughing coming from somewhere behind us.

Turning towards the sound, I watched in horror as the old woman that I'd met earlier fell to the ground only a few feet away from us. As she tumbled to the ground, her bags ripped open spilling their contents around her. Trying to stand up, blood frothed at her mouth as she tried to push air in and out of her lungs.

My mind flashed back to the day of the parade when the man collapsed, gasping for breath in front of me.

"Edward, what's wrong with-" Bella began.

At the sound of her voice, I experienced such an intense flood of memories that I nearly fell to my knees. As if suddenly awakened, a flood of voices and images crashed in on my consciousness.

"_Bella, you are my life now."_

"_You brought a snack?"_

"_I wanted you to have a chance at a normal, happy, human life."_

"_Only you could be more important than what I wanted… what I needed…"_

Fear churned in my stomach as I suddenly noticed the sounds of coughing from the other people in the park. Illness surrounded us.

Terrified, I turned to look at Bella, but she looked back at me with confusion in her eyes. She didn't seem to comprehend the danger that she was in.

"Bella, you need to get out of here!" I yelled, my voice laced with panic.

"Edward, I'm not leaving you," she said in confusion, looking around.

Grabbing her arm, I dragged her behind me as I ran away from the death surrounding us.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**This chapter is partly an homage to my new favorite tv show "The Walking Dead." If you are a fan of zombies or just general creepiness, this is a show for you :)**

**Here's my question for the week: If Edward is unwilling to go back to the Cullens, what should Bella do?**


	21. Home is Where the Heart Is

**Home is Where the Heart is**

**BELLA**

"Edward! Stop! Wait!" I begged, trying to pull my arm away from him, but Edward continued running never letting go of the tight grip he had on my arm.

"Edward, are you listening? Where are we going?"

He didn't answer me, and I wasn't sure that he was even capable of hearing me. He was in such a blind panic that he dragged me through the network of streets that made up downtown Seattle. Even when I stumbled, Edward didn't slow his pace. He would instead lift me bodily off the ground until I was able to find my footing.

"Edward, please stop!" I begged again, trying to dig my heels into the ground to stop him.

"He's a tracker! Don't you see that? He's a tracker!"

I gasped in shock.

His words caused me to lose my footing again, but this time I tripped over something that had partially blocked the alleyway, causing me to fall to my knees and pulling Edward with me.

I hissed in pain as my knees slammed against the pavement.

Edward collapsed next to me, breathing hard.

"Edward? What do you mean by 'He's a tracker?'? Who's a tracker?"

_Is he remembering? _

He didn't answer, but I could see that his brow was furrowed in what was obviously confusion.

"Edward, what are we running from? We can't keep this up. Where are we going?" I tried to ask calmly, but my breathlessness caused my voice to come out in a gasp.

However, Edward didn't look at me. He continued to stare straight ahead as if I weren't even there.

But after a few moments, he said.

"They're all sick…. Don't you see, Bella? They're all sick!"

I was having trouble following what he was saying.

"Why did you say that he's a tracker?" I asked again, needing to know whether he remembered anything from his past.

"I… I… I don't know… I can't think about that right now. We need to hide, Bella. You could die. You could get sick from the people around us," he snapped, his angry tone contradicting his words.

I was still in shock by his reaction in the park. One minute he was pulling away from me angrily, the next he was dragging me away as a woman collapsed at our feet.

"We can't just keep running. We need a plan," I said, firmly. "Let's call Jacob. He can come and get us," I said.

"No… no… not Jacob. He can't be trusted…" he said, turning to stare towards the end of the alley nervously.

"Edward, we need help. Jacob can-" I tried to reason.

"No!" he shouted, whipping around to glare at me. However, in the very next second he reached out for me to take his hand.

Afraid that if I didn't he'd leave me behind, I took his hand and stood up, . Together we reached the edge of the alleyway and carefully looked both ways down the main street for other people. When it was clear that we were alone, Edward started to run again dragging me with him.

* * *

After what felt like hours, we collapsed under the shadowed eave of a house in order to catch our breath. We'd managed to reach the outskirts of the city without coming close to other people. Whenever we'd catch sight of them in the distance, Edward would turn us in another direction. Every street looked the same to me, but it seemed as if Edward knew where he was going because the houses started to appear further and further apart until I could tell that we were not in the city anymore.

"Edward, can't we call the Cullens or Jacob? They must be worried about us," I asked softly.

"No… I'm… we're on our own…" he muttered.

I tried to think of what to do. We couldn't continue this way and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to convince him to trust the others.

We were exhausted. We hadn't eaten all day and we'd finished the remainder of my water from the small bottle that I'd had in my bag hours ago.

I wracked my brain, not knowing what to do. I'd thought about waiting until Edward was distracted or asleep to call the Cullens, but I knew that it was pointless. I was sure that they were following us, but I knew that Edward wasn't going to allow them to come near us.

We needed to find a safe place, but I had no idea where that would be.

Then, suddenly it hit me. There was one person that I could call that I trusted.

"Edward, I know someone that we can call. He'll help us," I said, trying to meet his eyes.

He'd barely looked at me and when he did the anger in his eyes caused me to look away on my own.

"Bella, we can't be around-" he began, but before he could finish I continued.

"We'll call Charlie. I mean my dad. He doesn't know about any of this, but he's a police officer, so he can keep us safe," I reasoned.

Edward didn't respond, so I continued.

"Please, Edward. We can't stay on the streets and my dad isn't far away…" I pleaded.

At first, I thought that he was going to argue, but then he turned and stared at me with a guarded expression before saying, "Do you know for sure that he isn't sick?"

I nodded.

I'd asked Carlisle about my dad. Sam told Carlisle that Charlie had been out of work for over two weeks on stress leave. He'd been staying with Billy because they'd all been so worried about him. He'd stopped sleeping and eating when I'd disappeared and was now virtually a zombie. I'd wanted to call him right away, but Carlisle had convinced me not to. He'd said that there were too many questions that I wouldn't be able to answer.

But at this moment, I was willing to risk them.

"Charlie wouldn't risk exposing us to the flu if he thought he was sick… He'll be able to help, Edward, I promise," I said sincerely.

Edward stared at me for a moment longer before taking a deep breath and nodding.

* * *

I called his cell that he used for work because I knew that he had it on him at all times. I began to worry when the phone continued to ring and Charlie didn't pick up. However, on the sixth ring, he answered. "Chief Swan speaking… How may I help you?" came a tired voice on the other end of the line.

"Dad?"

There was a long pause.

"Oh my God! Bella! Where are you?" Charlie practically yelled into the phone. "Where are you?" he said again, but this time his voice was choked with emotion. "Bella, I'd thought I'd lost..." but he wasn't able to continue.

"I know, Dad… I'm so sorry… but I need your help. I'm in trouble." I was surprised at the sense of relief that I felt talking to my father.

My eyes met Edward's, but he quickly looked away.

There was another long pause, but when he spoke again his voice was calm with no trace of the emotion that it had just held. The police officer side of my father had snapped on, replacing my fear-filled father.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm in Seattle, Dad, but I don't know where."

"Okay, Bella. Look around. What kind of buildings are around you? Are they townhouses or family homes?" he asked.

I looked around and saw that they were mostly family homes. In my panic, I'd stopped noticing my surroundings.

"Family homes…"

"Are you in a subdivision?"

I looked around again and saw that I was.

"Yes."

"Okay, now subdivisions have street signs. Can you see one?"

I stood up, and stepped to the edge of the building looking towards both ends of the street. At the end furthest from me was a sign.

"I can see one," I said, looking back at Edward, who had walked with me and saw what I saw.

"Okay, Bells. You need to go down and check the sign. Are there other people around?" he asked me gently.

"No… I haven't seen anyone in a long time," I responded, not mentioning that I was with Edward who was at this moment pulling me back into the shadow of the house.

"Okay, walk to the end of the street, but I want you to run if you see anyone. There are a lot of sick people out there kid," he said, and I could hear the worry return to his voice.

"I know, Dad. I'll be careful," I responded as I motioned for Edward to stay before starting towards the street sign.

"Bella," Edward began, and I quickly covered the phone receiver.

"Edward, I have to check the street sign," I said in a hushed voice.

"Bella?" I heard my father's muffled voice coming from under my hand.

"I'll go," Edward said and without waiting for me to respond he ran down the street warily trying to look in all directions at once.

I waited in tense silence for Edward's return.

Breathlessly, Edward returned after a few moments, "We're on Clarington Street."

"Dad, I'm on Clarington Street," I said in a shaky voice.

I knew that I should have told him right then and there about Edward, but I knew that it would have lead to a lot of questions that I couldn't answer at the moment.

"Don't go anywhere. I'll be there soon," he said gently.

"Dad…" I whispered.

"Yeah, Bells?" he responded.

"There's a lot going on that I haven't told you," I began.

"I know Bella, but it can wait until you're safe," he said. "I gotta go. I'm getting into the car."

"Okay," I said, but I didn't want to let him go. "Dad…" I said again, but didn't know what else to say.

"Bella, I'll be there soon. Everything will be okay. Just find a safe place off the main road and wait for me. I'll be there soon."

And then he was gone.

I clutched the phone hard in my hand for a moment, trying to hang on to my father's voice.

After a deep breath, I looked at Edward.

He returned my look with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Is he coming?" he asked.

"Yes, it'll take him about 30 minutes," I said, sitting down close enough to the side of the building that I'd be able to hear a car. Then, I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself.

"What does he know about all of this?" Edward asked in a subdued voice.

"Nothing… He doesn't know anything… To him, you were my high school sweetheart who disappeared during a camping trip. That's why I didn't say anything to him on the phone. I don't know what his reaction will be," I explained tiredly.

"So, we're going to lie to him?" Edward said in a bitter voice.

"What would be your solution?" I responded more sharply than I'd meant to.

I was just so tired.

"I have no idea, Bella. What do you expect from me?" he asked, sadly this time.

I opened my eyes and looked at him.

I didn't say anything at first. He was eerily calm for someone who had been told such earth shattering news about himself. He was angry and scared, but still able to function. If I'd been told the same information, I wasn't sure that I would have been able to cope.

Then, a thought occurred to me.

"Edward, why did you say 'He's a tracker' earlier? What were you talking about?" I asked hesitantly.

I was met by silence at first.

"I'm not sure. When the woman fell in front of us, I had a very intense flood of images and feelings of danger. All I knew was that we had to get away," he said.

I could tell that there was more that he wasn't saying, but instead of questioning him further, I waited. If he was remembering anything from his vampire life, I didn't want to push him.

After a while I started to doze off in the silence.

_I woke up slightly disoriented not remembering where I was. But when I moved, the soreness in my muscles brought the morning back to me. _

_I smiled and stretched before opening my eyes._

_The white ceiling surprised me at first because I was so used to the ivy colored material of our tent. However, after staring at it for a moment, I turned my head to the left and saw a sight that sent my heart fluttering. Edward was asleep on his side facing me. Gently, I brushed his sweat dampened hair off his forehead, causing him to sigh and roll over onto his back._

_In the heat of the sunshine that was pouring in the window, we'd kicked off the blankets. I smiled at the sight before me. A naked Edward Cullen was a sight to see. Even in the harsh light of day, he was perfect. _

_I ran my fingers softly along his cheekbone and then down his bare chest. I didn't want to wake him, but I couldn't stop myself from exploring. Earlier in the day, I'd been so caught up in the heat of the moment that I hadn't had a chance to appreciate the beauty that was Edward. _

_I decided that one of my favorite parts of a naked Edward was his stomach with its fine dusting of bronze hair that grew just under his belly button. I ran my fingers gently through it, causing his muscles to twitch under my hand. When I looked up at his face I saw that while his eyes were still shut, a smile was forming at the corners of his mouth. Unable to resist, I leaned in and placed a kiss on his stomach._

_He gently cupped my cheek, causing me to look up at him again._

_"Come here," he said in a sleep husky voice, his eyes barely open._

_With a smile, I crawled up the bed. _

_Placing a hand against the back of my head, Edward pulled me to him for a long, slow, thorough kiss. _

_With a sigh, I laid down next to him, but soon sleepiness started to set in again. With a yawn, Edward turned me away from him and curled himself around me before we both fell back to sleep._

"Bella, who's James?"

My eyes flew open in shock at the name. I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

_What should I tell him?_

Edward looked at me with uncertainty in his eyes, but it was quickly turning to suspicion as I struggled with finding the words.

"Does he have anything to do with Oscar?" he continued suspiciously.

"No... He... he... was a vampire that-"

I was interrupted by the sound of a car approaching. We hadn't heard any traffic for hours, so I knew that it was Charlie looking for us.

Edward bolted to his feet, pulling me with him.

"It's Charlie," I reassured him.

"How do you know?" he said, keeping me at his side.

"Edward, we haven't heard any traffic for hours. It's Charlie. Let me go to him first and try to explain," I said, but Edward's grip only tightened on my arm.

"Please, Edward," I said and detached his hand.

With one look back at his anxious face, I ran towards the sound hoping that I wouldn't miss Charlie's car.

When I burst onto the street, there was a screech of tires as the police car slammed on its breaks.

I shut my eyes, preparing for the impact, but it never came.

"Bella! Oh my God!" My dad's voice bellowed as he jumped out of the car and slammed the door.

I stumbled towards his voice, my legs shaking.

"Dad… Dad…"

A pair of strong arms wrapped around me, hugging me tight.

"I'm here now, Bells. Everything will be okay," he murmured softly into my hair.

I allowed myself a moment of comfort before pulling away from him.

"Bella, what's going on?"

"Dad, I have something that I need to tell you," I said hesitantly.

"Bella, does this have anything to do with Edward?" he asked as he held on to my shoulders and ducked his head in order to look into my eyes.

_How did he know?_

"Dad…" I began, but a sound behind me caused Charlie to look over my shoulder and freeze.

"Sweet Jesus! Bella, is that him?"

"Dad, let me explain…" I began.

"Bella… Isn't he…? Wasn't he…? I saw him on the news… The police are looking for him," he stuttered, not taking his eyes away from Edward.

I turned around and saw that Edward had come around the building, but had not ventured any further. He stared warily at my father like an animal preparing itself for danger.

"Yes, Dad. It's him, but he's confused. His memory has huge chunks missing and he's not sure who he can trust. He doesn't even really know who he is," I explained.

My father looked down at me in consternation.

"What do you mean? Where are Carlisle and Esme?" he asked.

"You can't say anything about the Cullens, Dad. He doesn't trust them… Please trust me," I whispered to him.

Charlie looked back at Edward in confusion, but he nodded just the same.

Stepping away from me, he took a step towards Edward with his hands held out in front of him.

"Hello Edward… I'm Chief Swan, Bella's father. Do you remember me?" he asked calmly.

Edward shook his head, but didn't venture to say anything.

"Bella tells me that you've lost your memory. I'm sure that you're really confused, but son, I'm here to help."

Charlie and Edward stared at each other for a moment, neither one speaking. However, the tension was thick in the air.

Charlie broke eye contact first and looked down at me, his gaze holding so many questions. But after a moment of staring into my eyes, he looked back up at Edward.

"You can't just wander the streets," Charlie said bluntly. "I don't have to tell you that that's not a good plan. Come on, we'll go some place safe and make a plan together," he continued.

"Edward," I said, preparing to go to him.

"Just give him a minute, Bells," Charlie murmured, taking my arm to hold me still.

When Edward didn't move, Charlie turned towards the car pulling me with him.

"Come on, son. Get into the car, so we can go somewhere safe."

I got into the back seat of the car, leaving the door open and hoping that Edward would follow. I didn't look in his direction, not wanting to jinx anything.

I sighed in relief when he got in with me and shut the door.

"Where are we going, Dad?" I asked.

"I'm going to take you home," Charlie said.

Edward's whole body tensed.

"What?" he blurted out.

"Relax, Edward. I meant Bella's home. You'll both come back to our house. Then, we'll figure things out from there," he said firmly.

Charlie's air of authority seemed to relax Edward. But I knew that once we were safe, Charlie would have some tough questions for me and I wasn't sure how I was going to answer them.

* * *

As we pulled up in front of our house, I watched Edward surreptitiously for any sign that he recognized it. When Charlie opened the door for us and we climbed out, Edward's eyes flickered up to my bedroom window. My breath caught in my throat, hoping for some kind of reaction, but beyond a slight tensing of his shoulders there was nothing.

As we silently entered the house, I took a deep breath breathing in its familiar scent. I hadn't visited Charlie in a long time, but it still felt like home. After Charlie sent me to Florida, I chose not to come back to visit. I couldn't bring myself to be around the sights and smells that reminded me of Edward. Now that I was here I realized how much I'd missed this house. How much I'd missed Charlie.

"You kids must be hungry. I don't have much. There's some fish in the freezer and probably some other stuff that we can pop in the microwave. I'm sorry Edward. I know that you're vegetarian," he said as he rooted around in the freezer.

At the word vegetarian, Edward's whole body became rigid.

I knew that he was thinking about what Carlisle told him, so before he could react I filled the silence.

"That sounds great, Dad. Do you want me to fry them up?"

"Sure Bells, if you want to. But you both must be tired. Why don't you take turns using the shower before supper? It looks like you've both had a hard day. Edward, why don't you go first while Bella and I plan supper?" he said, looking at us over his shoulder.

"Thank you, Sir, but-" Edward began.

"No problem. The bathroom is up the stairs the second door on your left. There are towels in the linen closet at the end of the hall," he said, not giving Edward the chance to say no.

After a moment's hesitation, Edward stood up and headed up the stairs. Charlie and I waited in silence until the bathroom door had shut and the water began to run.

"Dad, I need to make a phone call," I said, digging into my bag for my cell phone.

"Bella, we need to talk first. I have a lot of questions," he argued.

"Dad, I just need to make this call and then we can talk," I said.

No Bella. That's not an acceptable answer…"

"Dad, I need to make a phone call…"

Charlie slammed his hand down on the counter.

"NO BELLA!" he shouted.

Then he lowered his voice, but it was still forceful. "A few months ago you call me out of the blue to ask about how to find a missing person. Then, you don't answer your cell phone when I call or return any of my messages even after an epidemic that kills everyone it comes in contact with starts spreading across the country. Then, you call and ask me for help. So, I come and get you only to discover that your long lost boyfriend is back from the dead. So, _NO_ Bella I will not wait!" His voice rose again at the end.

I was shocked for a moment at his violent reaction.

"Dad I promise you that I am not doing anything wrong," I said, softly pleading.

I really didn't know what else to say to him, but I hoped that his trust in me would be enough for the time being.

Charlie continued to stare at me, unsatisfied.

"What is going on?" he asked me again.

When I didn't respond, he sighed in exasperation.

"Bella, I'm your father and a police officer. I'm the person who you are supposed to talk to about stuff like this. Why won't you trust me?"

"I do trust you Dad, but I can't tell you everything. You wouldn't understand," I explained.

"I can only understand what you tell me and right now you haven't told me anything."

I looked at him and I knew that I had to tell him something.

"Okay Dad, but I need you to trust me. I need you to listen. Don't just react…"

"I've always trusted you."

I took a deep breath and told him what I thought that he could handle.

"None of us know what really happened to Edward three years ago. We were all so sure that he was dead. However, a few months ago, Alice discovered some information that made us think that he might still be alive."

"What did Alice-?"

"Dad, I can't tell you everything. I'm telling you what I can, so just listen, ok?"

"We found Edward in Vancouver. He was the first identified person to have the flu. But when Carlisle went to see him in the hospital, he discovered that Edward had lost his memory. He had no idea where he'd been or what had been done to him. However, the doctors wouldn't let him go even after he was cured because they thought that he may have knowledge about the origins of the virus. They thought that Edward knew more than he was telling them..." Some of this was a lie, but I didn't know how else to explain why we broke him out of the hospital.

"We helped him escape and then went into hiding. Carlisle is trying to find out more about the virus in order to try to find a cure."

I knew that my story didn't make any sense, but it was all that I could give Charlie at the moment.

"Edward doesn't trust the Cullens because for some reason he thinks that they are to blame for what's happening to him. A few hours ago, he ran away from the house that we were staying at in Seattle. Luckily, I noticed him missing and followed him. Once I caught up with him, I convinced him that it wasn't safe to be on the streets and that you could help us."

Charlie stared at the floor for a long time his hands clenched on the edge of the counter top that he was leaning against. Then he let out a deep breath.

"God, Bella what have you gotten yourself involved in?"

"Dad, Edward needs our help. I love him."

"Bella, this is dangerous. It sounds like there is a lot more to this story than what you know or are telling me. Edward's case must not be a priority because there would be an APB out on him by now. We should consult a lawyer though."

"NO! We can't! I need to talk to Carlisle. The Cullens will know what to do… I need you to trust me Dad."

"Bella…."

"Please Dad."

"Okay… for now I will let you do it your way, but when I feel that things are getting too dangerous then I am going to step in Bells. I will not let you endanger your life any more than you already have."

I dashed out of the room with my phone and quickly dialed Carlisle's number.

"Hello?"

"Carlisle! Edward and I are at home with Charlie."

"I know Bella. Jasper and Emmett have been following you all day. How is he?"

"I don't know Carlisle. He's been saying strange things. He asked me about James."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few moments.

"So he's remembering…"

"That's a good sign isn't it?"

"I don't know Bella. The tests that we did on Edward's blood came back and they were troubling," he said calmly.

"What do you mean by 'troubling'? What's wrong?" I gasped, panicked.

"We had his blood tested periodically over a period of several hours and each time the results were different. It is clear that his body is trying to fight off both the werewolf and vampire infection. However, I don't think that his human DNA is winning. The fact that he is remembering makes me think that the vampire infection is gaining strength. Has he been behaving strangely in any other way?"

I laughed bitterly.

"He's barely been able to look at me or speak to me. So, I don't know what's going on with him."

Carlisle was silent again for a moment.

"Bella, how are you feeling?" he asked gently.

"I feel like my whole world is going crazy."

"I don't mean emotionally. How do you feel physically?"

"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.

"Bella, Edward's body is going through dramatic fluctuations…" he said, but didn't continue.

"I don't understand what you're asking," I said.

"Bella, I hate to bring up something so personal, but I have to. I know that you and Edward made love. Did you use any form of protection?"

My blood ran cold in my veins.

"Bella? Are you still there?"

"Yes… yes, I'm here, but no… we didn't use anything," I said shakily.

"It's ok, Bella. I believe that everything is ok for the moment. At this point, Edward's human DNA is still in control, but you have to realize that you are in a really vulnerable position. Edward could change at any moment if his human DNA weakens. In addition, you could have also easily become infected with the flu today by following Edward... If you haven't begun to feel the effects of it yet, you've probably not been infected. However, that doesn't mean that you are immune. You need to be careful."

"I understand," I said quietly. I hadn't fully considered all of the dangers that surrounded me. When I'd rushed after Edward, all I'd been thinking about was finding him. Now, I realized that not only was I at risk, but I'd also invovled Charlie.

"Bella, Jasper and Emmett are right outside of your house, so you're safe for now. Try to keep Edward calm and keep a close eye on him for any changes. Esme and I will be leaving for a few days. I have a couple of theories about a treatment for the flu from Edward's test results. We won't be far, but if you need anything call Alice. Stay inside with Charlie. Forks has not been affected quite as significantly as Seattle, but the flu is still there."

"Ok," I said softly.

"Ok Bella, I'll talk to you soon," Carlisle said, before hanging up.

I put the phone back into my pocket and walked back into the kitchen preparing myself for a new onslaught of questions from Charlie, but instead, I found him on the phone.

"Why the hell is all of this happening at once? No… We don't want people to panic."

Charlie was pacing the room in agitation, a look of anger on his face.

"I know, but I can't come in. I have family issues to deal with. Just step up patrols. If they are seen in the city limits, shoot on sight."

He looked up at me when he heard me enter the room.

"I have to go. Contact me if there are any more attacks."

Hanging up Charlie slumped down into one of the kitchen chairs and I followed, sitting in the one across from him.

"What's up, Dad?" I asked.

He ran his hands through his hair and stared up at the ceiling.

"We don't need this right now!" he growled.

"What's happening?"

"With everything coming to a stand still because of this flu, animals are encroaching on the town. Garbage is piling up, so I'm sure that they're attracted by the possibility of food. The deputy just called to tell me that there has been a pack of wild dogs sighted in Forks. They're probably just coyotes, which individually are not dangerous, but as a pack they are quite vicious. People are describing them as being huge animals, much larger than coyotes. But everyone is hyper sensitive to danger these days, so they're probably exaggerating."

I felt all the blood drain from my face as thoughts of the news stories that Carlisle had learned about from Sam echoed in my head.

_A pack of wild dogs in Forks. _

"Bella?"

I heard Charlie's voice, but it was faint, drowned out by the frantic pounding of my heart.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Drop me a line and tell me what you think.

I want to thank AngelByEve for giving me an idea for this chapter. When people are in trouble, their first instinct is always to run home.


	22. The Message

**JASPER**

As Emmett and I stood watch outside of the Swan residence, the wind howled around us as a cold front crashed down onto Forks breaking the unusual heat wave of the last month. The old house in front of us creaked and groaned as the storm pounded against it, but the humans inside remained silent.

The tension in the house was palpable, causing none of them to be able to sleep, even after they retreated to different parts of the house. The "flavour" of each one's anxiety was slightly different - worry, sadness, paranoia. Wanting to soothe them, I tried to send out a feeling of relaxation, but I was too far away. Strangely, whenever I tried to get any closer, Edward would seem to sense it, forcing me to retreat.

When Edward had escaped through the bathroom window, we'd all known that he was gone. Even without a human's scent, it was impossible not to know when a human was nearby. All the tiny insignificant noises that humans make just by living are deafening to a vampire who hasn't adapted to living among them. The sound of a human breathing, their heart beat, even the whispery sound of their clothing as they move with each breath can be as hypnotic for a vampire as their blood. The absence of that sound was like an alarm blaring, causing Emmett and I to quietly leave the house in an attempt to not alert Bella.

As we followed Edward, I left myself open to all of the emotions in our vicinity. I had to know what Edward was feeling as well as the others that were around him. There were sick people around every corner, but Edward seemed oblivious to them until he was practically on top of them. Learning how to sift through the cacophony of human emotion was a skill that hadn't been easy to learn. I'd developed it through trial by fire as I attended high school day after day with teenagers who were each a cauldron of emotions always threatening to boil over. The others thought that it was the scent of human blood that kept me on the very edge of my control around humans, but it was more the attack of a multitude of emotions every day that made it hard to focus on anything else, leaving me vulnerable to the thirst for blood. None, except for Edward, truly could understand what it was like to be constantly bombarded with a white noise of emotion. A part of my mind was always occupied with blocking it out. It had been the same for Edward. He'd had to maintain a constant wall against the thoughts of others or he would have gone mad.

As a human, Edward's mind reading abilities were gone; however, after we'd been following Edward for a while I started to notice a pattern in his behavior. Whenever I would approach Edward too closely, he would veer off in another direction almost as if he sensed me. After seeing him react several times in this way, I realized that he could sense my presence. This was just one of many signs that proved that Edward wasn't truly human. He couldn't sense that other humans were present, but when a vampire was nearby he would instinctually react. Using this instinct, we were able to steer Edward in the direction that we wanted. When Bella found Edward, we worked even harder to steer them away from the downtown area asquickly as possible because she was even more vulnerable than Edward.

Now that they were with Charlie, Emmett and I could relax a little and simply focus on guarding the house. I'd at first been unsure about Bella's choice to involve Charlie, but the relief that both she and Edward experienced in his presence was evident. Perhaps because he was a police officer, Charlie always gave off an undercurrent of calm even when on the surface he was worried, sad, or angry. It was clear that he could shut off his negative emotions any time he really needed to - it was an enviable trait that not many humans had.

I was suddenly jerked out of my thoughts when the wind shifted directions, causing an unfamiliar scent to flood my senses.

"Emmett…."

"I know," he snarled under his breath, his posture becoming defensive. "Something is out there."

"Stay here. Watch the house," I told him and slipped off into the woods.

From behind me, I heard Emmett's low rumbling growl as he prepared himself for an attack.

* * *

Closing my eyes, I focused all of my attention on the sounds and smells around me. I listened intently for any sounds that seemed out of place, which was made difficult by the howling storm.

For a few moments, there was nothing beyond the sound of rain pattering against the leaves and the rustling of tree branches as they bent to the force of the wind. Then, deeper in the forest, I heard the sound of tree branches snapping. It wasn't the same sound of trees crackling in the wind. It was a deliberate sound like that of someone walking. I bolted in the direction of the sound, but when I reached the point where it had come from there was nothing except for the stench of the creature.

I lifted my head to the wind and inhaled deeply re-orienting myself to the creature's new direction. When the snapping began again, it sounded as if the creature was deliberately stopping and starting as it waited for me to give chase. A growl rumbled deep in my chest as I shot through the woods, trying to close the distance between us. However, the creature picked up speed, keeping itself a safe distance ahead every time that I pushed myself harder.

Uneasiness filled me as the creature led me in a circle around Bella's home before winding its way through the streets of Forks. Normally, supernatural creatures avoided populated areas, but this one seemed to be heading straight towards them.

As I ran, rain started to pour down on me in sheets and the wind gusted into my face weakening the creature`s scent. Fearing I would lose it, I pushed myself once more to try and close the distance between us. I was so intent on tracking, that I didn't even notice a fainter trail going off in another direction until I was quite a way past it. Not willing to let the creature in front of me escape, I ignored the older trail and continued tracking the one in front of me as it entered the center of the town. However, I had to move more carefully in the populated area in order to avoid detection, which allowed the creature to increase the distance between us.

Then, suddenly, the scent was gone.

I skidded to a halt and backtracked, wondering whether I had missed where it had turned off in another direction. But when its scent abruptly disappeared on a side street, I realized that it must have gotten into a vehicle.

I'd let it escape.

I hissed in frustrated anger before retracing my steps to the older trail where Emmett joined me.

"Rosalie and Alice are standing guard," he muttered, his anger rumbling just under the surface.

Emmett was volatile at the best of times and I knew that the fact that this creature had caught us unaware was sending him over the edge. I was also barely able to keep my anger in check, which I knew was only added fuel to the fire of Emmett's rage.

I crouched low to the ground and inhaled deeply to the faint scent. Now that I was able to really focus on the scent, it was clear that it was some kind of wolf.

This time the trail led out of the city. Emmett realized before I did where it was taking us. He let out a roar that even over the pounding rain echoed through the forest.

"The trail is leading towards our house."

When we burst from the trees, we were immediately assaulted by the overwhelming stench that surrounded our home. Even though I couldn't smell any of the creatures on the wind, it was as if their scent had soaked into the earth itself.

"There are millions of prints…" Emmett snarled as his eyes darted in all directions, looking for the intruders.

Crouching, I examined the trampled ground. There seemed to be about nine distinct prints. The rest were from the same animals who had returned again and again to circle our home.

"They've been waiting for us," I said, lost in thought.

From the scents of the individual animals, I was sure that at least some of them were shifters.

"Are they from Sam's pack?" Emmett asked, as if he'd been reading my thoughts.

"No…" I stated, my concern growing with the passing of every second.

The meaning of their tracks was clear. They were showing us that they knew who and what we were and they were telling us that they were not afraid. The fact that one had the gall to approach us showed that these creatures weren't just passing through Forks. They were here for a reason and that reason had something to do with us.

"They're challenging us," I said quietly to Emmett.

"Well, I say bring it on… If they're looking for a fight, I'm ready." He could barely contain his fury as he paced back and forth in front of me.

The animalistic side of me felt the same. I wanted to destroy the creatures that had entered our territory and put our loved ones at risk. However, the strategist in me wondered what the purpose for all of this was. If they wanted our territory, they could have easily laid in wait and attacked us before we had the chance to react. Why did they choose instead to make us aware of their presence?

* * *

**EDWARD**

Great gusts of wind and rain crashed and thundered against the walls of the house. Drafts of cold air seemed to seep through the window panes regardless of how tightly Charlie latched them.

Unsettled and exhausted, I tried to block out the sound of the howling storm and went over the events of the evening.

After showering, I'd made my way back downstairs to find Charlie and Bella going through the motions of making supper, but there'd been a false sense of normalcy in their actions.

Number one- neither Charlie nor Bella had really looked at me _or_ at each other all evening.

Number two- Charlie hadn't asked any questions. When he'd seen me for the first time, he'd looked like he'd seen a ghost. However, he didn't ask me a single question about where I'd been for the last three years.

Bella's father seemed to be a good man. He was what my father would have described as "salt of the earth" – gruff, but unpretentious. He hadn't once attempted to fill the silences with meaningless small talk, and after a few failed attempts to get information from us about what we'd been doing for the past month, he'd stopped trying. Once dinner was over, Charlie had excused himself and made a few phone calls to the police station, before finally saying that he was going to go to bed. Rather pointedly, he had added that I was sleeping on the couch, while Bella was sleeping in her room. I had of course flushed in embarrassment because I was not only mortified by his implication, but quickly realized that I _had_ actually slept with his daughter. So, I'd avoided looking at him and mumbled good-night as he handed me a pile of blankets.

Now, I huddled further under the wool blankets that Charlie had given me, drifting in and out of a restless sleep full of half nightmares, half memories.

Even the storm seemed mixed up in them- like some howling enemy trying with noise and wind to break the concentration necessary to stitch together the snippets of conversations that filled my dreams.

"_How old are you?"_

"_Seventeen."_

"_And how long have you been seventeen?"_

"_A while…"_

…

"_Don't laugh- but how can you come out during the daytime?"_

"_Myth."_

"_Burned by the sun?"_

"_Myth."_

"_Sleeping in coffins?"_

"_Myth."_

…

"_Tell me why you hunt animals instead of people." _

"_I don't want to be a monster…"_

…

"_I'm not always the most dangerous thing out there. Let's leave it at that."_

…

"_Bella, I couldn't live with myself if I ever hurt you. You don't know how it's tortured me. The thought of you, still, white, cold… to never see you blush scarlet again, to never see that flash of intuition in your eyes when you see through my pretenses… it would be unendurable. You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me ever."_

…

"_They have a name for someone who smells the way Bella does to me. They call her "la tua cantante" my singer — because her blood sings for me."_

…

"_Edward?" _

_It was my Bella. _

_I swam to the surface of consciousness searching for her. When it finally came to me, I smelled something that made my mouth water and my throat burn. _

_What was that delicious smell? _

_I opened my eyes and saw Bella's beautiful eyes looking up at me with her hair fanned out across the pillow. Her naked beauty took my breath away. I inhaled again pulling in the beautiful scent that was hers alone._

_Unable to resist any longer, I lunged at her, her shriek of fear thrilling me._

_I yanked her to my mouth and plunged my teeth into her neck. She pushed at me, but I held her tighter drinking her nectar like a starving animal. Once the last drop was drained from her body, I dropped her at my feet, satiated._

_Standing up straight, I wiped the blood off my face and looked at myself in the mirror. I smiled at how my red lips reflected in my red eyes._

"NO!" I screamed bolting awake.

For a moment I was disoriented and then my dream came back to me full force. I lurched up off of the couch, but tripped on the blankets that were twisted around my legs.

I heard a thump from above me and then Charlie's voice as he called down the stairs.

"What's going on?"

When I didn't respond, I heard his clomping feet coming down the stairs. However, I couldn't move or even speak. The vividness of my nightmare left me panting as if someone had punched me in the stomach. The horror of Bella's broken body at my feet, but also the pleasure that her blood had given me were still too real. I could practically taste the metallic flavor of Bella's blood in my mouth and there was a part of me that had liked the taste.

"Edward, what's going on?" he said as he grabbed me under the arms and pulled me to my feet.

I pushed myself away from him and ran to the bathroom where I was violently sick.

I sat down on the floor exhausted and stared hollowly at the wall, trying to clear my head of the nightmare.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked from the doorway.

When I didn't answer, he walked past me to the sink and poured me a glass of water.

The water hurt my throat, but the cold helped bring reality back into focus.

"No... I'm fine. I just had a nightmare... I'm sorry that I woke you," I said, but my shaky voice contradicted my words.

"No worries. I've barely slept all night. The storm is really pounding this old house," he reassured me. "Come on. Let's go back to the living room."

Reaching down, he took my arm and helped me to my feet and together we walked back down the hall.

We sat silently on the couch for a long time before Charlie spoke.

"Edward is there anything that you want to talk about? I don't know what's happened to you, but I can help" he stated.

I saw out of the corner of my eye a shadow at the top of the stairs and knew that it was Bella.

"Thank you, but no… I'm fine," I said, not looking at him.

"You don't have to tell me, but don't lie to me son. You are anything but fine…" he stated, bluntly.

I looked up at him, ashamed.

However, the look he gave me was not anger, but more a look of concern.

I felt myself weakening, wanting him to be able to help me make sense of what was going on around me.

"I shouldn't be near you and Bella."

"What do you mean?" he asked, sitting up straighter.

"I'm dangerous."

"What do you mean Edward? How are you dangerous?"

I just shook my head.

"Why aren't you with your family Edward?"

"My family is dead…" I said bitterly.

"You know who I mean... Why aren't you with your adopted family? Carlisle is a doctor. They also have the money to provide you with the best treatment available if you need it. Besides, I'm sure that they are really worried about you."

My emotions still raw from the nightmare of killing Bella caused me to lash out. Carlisle had made me this way and hearing Charlie talk about him felt like a betrayal.

"They're monsters!" I hissed. "I'm sure that those bloodsuckers are out there watching me right now!"

I knew the moment that the words left my mouth that I'd made a mistake.

When I looked at Charlie again, his eyes had widened in surprise and then squinted as he tried to decipher what I'd just said. His eyes flickered towards the window and then back at me.

"Who do you think is watching you?" he asked slowly.

I tried to think of an answer that seemed plausible, but my mind was a blank.

"What's a bloodsucker?" he continued when I didn't answer.

"No… I meant-" I stuttered, trying to backtrack.

"Look... Edward... It's late and we're both tired. I shouldn't have brought any of this up in the middle of the night anyway. We'll talk more in the morning," he said, standing up. However, I could see in his eyes that he was still thinking about what I'd said as he left the room.

I stood up to follow him, but then realized that it was pointless.

_What could I say?_

A headache had formed like a band across my forehead and every joint in my body ached. I was at a loss about what to do. The part of me that was still horror stricken by my nightmare screamed at me to slip out into the night and not look back. However, the other part of me told me that I couldn`t run from fate. For better or for worse, I had to face it head on.

I walked over to the window and stared out into the blackness of the night. It should have been lit up by the near full moon, but the cloud bank of the storm had all but blocked out any light besides what was coming from the house.

I tried to sort out my thoughts by staring into the blackness. I knew that parts of my dreams had been memories and some just horrifying nightmares. I knew that my nightmare of killing Bella wasn't real. Bella was alive and in her room right above me. However, I also knew that the vividness of the dream could not have been totally my imagination.

All of these pieces of memories and nightmares started to form a picture of the creature that I'd been. I'd been a monster that had craved human blood- Bella's blood. However, I was also sure that even as a monster I'd loved Bella and she'd loved me. It seemed unimaginable, but I knew deep down that it was true. It seemed to be the epitome of selfishness that I'd allowed myself to be in a relationship with her and even planned on marrying her when I hungered for her in this way.

I sighed in exhaustion, rubbing my hands over my face as I started back to the couch to try to get some more sleep.

As I began to turn, I saw the reflection of something from the corner of my eye.

Turning back, I squinted into the darkness trying to see what caught my attention. When all I could see was blackness, I leaned against the window frame and shaded my eyes so that I could see through the glare cast by the living room light.

I scanned the backyard, not seeing anything out of the ordinary until I caught sight of two tiny pin pricks of light which gleamed from the recesses of a large tree.

I froze, barely breathing, as the creature held me in its gaze. My racing heart pounded in my ears as instinct told me to look away, but I couldn't.

Then, without any warning, it was gone almost as if it had never been there.

I took a step back from the window and let out a long shuddering breath, as my own words came back to me from my dream.

"_I'm not always the most dangerous thing out there..."_


	23. Loved Ones

**A/N: **Hi Everyone!

My computer died this week because of a virus. Thankfully, I'd saved most of my story on my USB. My heart nearly stopped when I thought that I'd lost everything. I'm sneakily posting this chapter online at work. I hope you all appreciate my sneakiness :)

I just didn't want to keep you waiting any longer than you had to!

* * *

**LOVED ONES**

BELLA

"_Look... Edward... It's late and we're both tired. I shouldn't have brought any of this up in the middle of the night anyway. We'll talk more in the morning," Charlie said._

His shadow darkened the doorway to the living room as he said this, before beginning up the stairs. When he saw me sitting on the top step, he paused for a moment before continuing past me.

"Bella, I want to talk to you for a minute," he muttered under his breath when he reached his bedroom door.

With a deep breath, I stood up and followed him into his room.

The minute the door was shut, I tried to head off whatever he was going to say, but he cut me off.

"We have to talk about what's going on, Bella. Edward's not stable. Obviously, bad things have happened to him, but we're not equipped to handle them. He thinks that he's a danger to us and I think we should listen to what he's saying. He needs to be with Carlisle and Esme who can get him the help he needs," he whispered loudly.

"Dad," I began a note of pleading in my voice. "He won't go with them."

"Well, we'll have to make him. This is bigger than us, Bella. He thinks that there are people watching him and from what you've told me there very well could be," he said before rubbing his hands over his face.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to contact Carlisle and we're going to talk about this. He can't hide out here without help and his family should be the ones to give it to him. I know you want to protect him, but the best thing that we could do for him is to get him back with his family."

I nodded, knowing that it was true. Actually, Charlie didn't know how true his statement really was. Only the Cullens could really help Edward with what was happening to him. So, without saying anything more, I left his room and shut the door.

I crept down the stairs to see if Edward was still awake, but everything was quiet. The lights were out, and all I could see was Edward's huddled shape on the couch. After watching him for a few moments, I quietly left the room and went back to my room.

* * *

I was jerked out of my sleep by a freezing cold hand on my cheek. I let out a small shriek of fear.

"Bella, get up. We've got to go."

I took a deep gasping breath.

"Alice, you shouldn't sneak up on someone while they're sleeping. I can't see in the dark like you," I grumbled, fumbling for my light.

"Come on Bella. We've got to go," she insisted.

Not able to understand what she was talking about, I sat up and reached blindly for my lamp again, but when I finally flipped the switch, the light didn't come on. I guessed the storm had knocked out the power.

"What? What's going on?" I asked, my brain still muddled with sleep.

"We're all going to the reservation," Alice said, pulling back my blankets and tugging on my arm until I was up on my feet. "Get dressed," she continued, pressing clothing into my hands. "Edward and Charlie are already waiting."

"What do you mean? You can't go to La Push. You'll break the treaty," I stated, beginning to feel alarmed.

"Bella, I don't have time to go into detail, but there's been an animal attack. Sam thinks that another pack of shifters is in Forks. We're all going to meet at the reservation, so that we can pool our resources and figure out what's going on."

I started to pull on my clothes in stunned silence as my brain started to catch up with Alice's words.

Once I was dressed, Alice ushered me down the stairs where we found Rosalie, Charlie and Edward waiting at the door.

"I don't understand. What the hell is going on?" Charlie asked, looking back and forth between Alice and Rosalie. His eyes were wide and his hair disheveled as if he'd been dragged from his bed.

"Charlie, we're all going to the reservation. There have been some animal attacks nearby, so Sam and Billy want us to meet them there to discuss what should be done," Alice responded soothingly.

"What? This is ridiculous. You come here in the middle of the night and drag me out of bed because of some animal sightings? This is Forks. There are always animal sightings! We shouldn't be out wandering around with an epidemic spreading. I'll just call down to the station-" he began.

"Charlie, these aren't just random animal sightings. Someone's been killed and Sam and Billy have some information about it. Why don't you make your calls on the way to the reservation?" Rosalie said, tugging firmly on his arm as she walked him out the front door and into the rain.

Silently, the rest of us followed them out of the house and into a downpour, causing us to run to the SUV.

Once we got into the back seat, I looked at Edward out of the corner of my eye. For a moment, we held each other's gaze. I was surprised _not_ to see a look of shock in his eyes. It was clear that he knew more about what was going on than I did. However, when I leaned in to ask him, he quickly turned away and looked out the window.

* * *

We went directly to Billy's house when we arrived at the reservation. As we pulled up his driveway, Billy was already waiting on his porch.

"Billy, what's going on?" Charlie asked as he walked up the front steps.

"Charlie, I'm so sorry to drag you out in the middle of the night, but we thought that it would be better if we were all together," Billy said, as he beckoned him into his house.

"Billy, I don't understand…" Charlie grumbled, his voice trailing off as Billy led him through the front door.

Before we could follow, Alice stopped us.

I looked at her for some answers but her attention was focused on something behind me.

I turned and saw Sam's pack approaching warily out of the darkness, spread out in a semi circle. They were unphased, which I took as a good sign, but Edward still moved closer to me as we sensed the tension that clearly crackled between the two groups.

"Thank you for allowing us onto your land," Alice greeted formally.

Sam approached closer than the others, but stopped a few feet away, inclining his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"I thought that in light of what's happened tonight it would be better this way, but I would ask that you don't wander. People are already on edge and don't trust your 'kind,' so a member of my pack will accompany you at all times. When your mates arrive, make sure that they understand that this is a tentative truce."

It was clear that even though he was allowing them onto the reservation Sam wasn't comfortable with having the Cullens on his land.

"We understand," Alice said, nodding her head.

He nodded once in response before gesturing towards Jake who was standing on his right.

"Jake's agreed to let Bella and Edward have his house," Sam continued. "The rest of us will patrol the borders in pairs."

Sam turned to away, leaving Embry and Quil with Alice and Rosalie.

Jake pulled Sam aside and spoke quietly to him for a moment before joining us.

"Jake, what's going on?" I pleaded for an explanation.

"There's another pack in Forks. They've killed the man who owned the grocery store just on the border of the reservation. He was found dead tonight outside of his store. He'd been torn apart," Jake said quietly.

"A pack of what? A pack of vampires?" Edward asked, but again I saw something in his eyes that made me think that he knew more about what was going on than he was saying.

"No, a pack of shifters like us," Jake said, bluntly.

I froze because even though Carlisle had told Edward that other supernatural creatures existed, we hadn't told him that Jake was one of them.

"Shifters… like you…" Edward said slowly.

"Yeah Edward, like me. I'm sorry to throw this on you, but you need to know everything and I don't have time to sugar-coat things for you. Sam and I and the rest of us," he said, gesturing towards Quil and Embry, "can change into wolves in order to protect our tribe."

I turned to look at Edward, scared of his reaction, but he just stared off into the distance, without reacting.

"Look guys, I'm going to take you to my house. Charlie's with my dad. I'm not sure what he's telling him, but it would be better if the two of you weren't there for a while. You'll be safe at mine though. I'm going to stay in the area and patrol," Jake explained as he clicked on a flashlight and lead us to his truck.

* * *

The power had been knocked out throughout the area, so Edward and I stumbled along behind Jake as he led us up his driveway with only the light of his flashlight to guide us.

The wind and rain were so strong that they pushed against us as we walked, causing us to stagger back and forth. By the time we reached the house, Edward and I were drenched and shivering from the downpour.

"Here we are. Home sweet home," Jake said as he climbed the stairs of a small log cabin.

Edward and I stood in the doorway of the house crowded close together as we waited for Jake to let us in. We were standing so close that I could feel Edward's breath on my neck, causing an even stronger shiver to run down my spine. Edward had barely come near me, or even looked at me for what felt like forever. We'd been as close as any two people could ever be only a day ago. I could still hear his breathless moans and gasps in my head and feel his lips as they trailed down my body. I unconsciously leaned towards him at the thought and could hear Edward's breathing pick up slightly.

However, Jake's re-appearance snapped us out of the moment.

"Found them," Jake stated, looming out of the dark with two lit candles in his hands.

* * *

After giving us towels and some spare clothes, Jake went about getting a fire started in his fireplace while we got changed.

The warm glow of the fire was so welcoming that both Edward and I huddled as close to it as possible rather than sitting on the couch.

After boiling some water and making tea on his gas stove, Jake handed us both a steaming mug before getting ready to go.

"I'll be in the area patrolling, so you'll be safe. Just stay warm and don't go outside," he reassured us before leaving.

And then he was gone.

The silence was deafening between Edward and I, so I restlessly spent my time rolling up the sleeves and pant legs of the clothes that Jake had given me. They were so big that they really didn't do anything to warm me up, so I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and inched even closer to the fire.

"You'll catch the blanket on fire if you get any closer."

Edward's voice startled me and I jumped a little.

"I'm just so cold," I said, hunching forward and wrapping the blanket around my shoulders even tighter.

"Your hair is wet," he said, handing me a towel as he in turn took one and began to towel off his own hair.

Using the towel to squeeze out some of the water, I watched Edward while he was distracted. It was just so unfair that he sat only a few feet away from me and yet I couldn't reach out and touch him. Everything seemed like a cosmic joke that we'd be thrown back together, but then kept apart by circumstances beyond our control.

Edward winced as he dragged the towel over the cut on his cheekbone as he vigorously scrubbed his hair.

Seeing the look of pain cross his face, I moved closer to him and touched his cheek.

"Does it hurt?" I asked, but he just shrugged.

"Maybe I should look for a bandage," I said, lightly tracing the edges of the wound.

"I'm fine Bella," he said, reaching up and taking my hand. I was surprised when he didn't let it go immediately.

"I remember some of my past," he said slowly.

I stared at him for a moment in shock.

"You do? Oh God, Edward-" I began, but he cut me off.

"I know that we loved each other. I know that I was trying to be a better… man… for you," he continued, but the look of sadness in his eyes only deepened.

"I just don't understand how you could have chosen a life with me. How would it have worked? I was a monster. I fed on blood. Yes, animal blood, but it was still blood. You're human. How did we believe that we could have had a future together?"

I froze. I knew that my answer was only going to make things worse.

However, understanding dawned in his eyes before I could say anything.

"I was going to turn you into a creature like me, wasn't I," he said and the disgust in his voice was evident.

"Edward, you didn't want to. It was me. I refused to live without you. I wanted to be your equal in every way. When you said no, I even went so far as to try to convince Alice to change me. We were happy together, and I wanted it to last forever."

"You were happy?"

"Yes," I said, softly.

"To be in a relationship that would eventually kill you?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes! You are the most important thing to me. I felt... I feel happier with you than I've ever felt before. I would have done anything to be together forever."

"You were happily in love with a vampire? You were happy to die to be with me?" he continued, angrily. "A killer? That's your idea of happy?"

"Yes."

His eyes widened, and then narrowed as he snorted, "Well, it's not my idea of happy," he snapped coldly, before looking back into the fire.

"Have I killed people?" he asked, not looking back at me.

"Yes," I answered gently, but I could feel anger inside me building at how futile this all was.

"How many did I kill?" he asked.

"I don't know. You left Carlisle and Esme for a while. You told me that while you were on your own you did kill humans, but you chose the worst kinds of criminals. However, even then you realized how wrong it was, so you returned to Carlisle and Esme after a few years," I explained.

"How did I know that they were killers?" he asked.

"You were able to read minds as a vampire," I said, knowing how everything I said was probably just making things worse. I knew that he had a right to be angry, but my frustration started to increase as we dug ourselves deeper and deeper into his tangled history.

"Of course I could…" Edward muttered under his breath.

"Would you have ever told me the truth?" he said turning to look at me again.

"Yes, I couldn't have kept something like this a secret. I love you and I want to have a life with you. Can't you see the gift that we've been given? You're back. You're human. We're together and now we can have a life! And we're wasting it!" I shouted angrily.

"Bella…" he began.

"No! Listen to me! Can't you see how miraculous all of this is! Look at how many events had to happen in order for us to reach this place. You were born in 1901 and I was born in 1987. If fate hadn't intervened, you would have died at 17 or you would have been in your 80s when I was born. You were turned by Carlisle and then you returned to Forks at just the time that I moved in with my dad after years of me living with my mom. We both felt incomplete up until that moment, but when we saw each other we felt a connection. And, against all odds, we were able to make it work. Then, you've come back to me as a human! Yes, I know that there are a lot of horrible things going on around us, but can't you see that this is a miracle?"

"I wanted to kill you Bella!" he yelled, glaring at me. "I dreamt about it! I thirsted for your blood! I craved it more than anything else! I dreamt of killing you and enjoying it!"

I flinched at his words, knowing how true his feelings were. Being with him had always been like walking on the edge of a razor blade. One slip and it would have killed me.

"I know," I said.

"What's wrong with you?" he said angrily. "How could you have wanted this? Bella, no matter how much we want each other, it's _so_ wrong. I don't just crave your body. The vampire is still inside of me, crying to be let out. I can feel it when we are together and I'm starting to worry that I won't be able to tell the difference between my human instincts and the monster that is lurking inside. What if I snap?"

He turned his body to face me.

"I love you. You know that I do, but there is just so much more going on than us. Right now, our friends and family are outside hunting for creatures that obviously want to harm us. Yet here we are, lost in each other," he said sadly.

"I think I understand why I allowed us to be together when it went against every rational thought," he said gently. "My hunger for you is stronger than my will," he finished with a sad but wistful smile.

"Now it's even more dangerous than before. I think that before, I knew the limits of my control, so I was willing to risk it, but now… I don't even know what I really am. I could kill you without meaning to."

A look of pain crossed his face at his words.

"I'm sure that you know that deep down. You just love me so much that you're willing to risk it, but Bella I'm not," he said.

I just stared at him, knowing that everything he was saying was true.

Carlisle's words of warning returned to me. He'd told me that I was in danger every minute that I was with Edward. However, even though I knew the risk, I didn't care.

He pushed himself up off the floor and strode over to the window, looking out into the darkness.

I took a deep breath and decided that it was at this moment that I needed to tell him everything.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Yeah?" he said, turning back towards me.

"There's more that I need to tell you."

He turned towards me, leaning up against the window sill.

"The pack met Oscar years ago when he came to the reservation," I took a deep breath before continuing. "Oscar is a werewolf, Edward. He's not the same as Jake and his pack who were born with the ability to turn into wolves. Oscar was bitten years ago and he changes into a wolf during the full moon."

"How am I involved with him?" he asked.

"We're not sure, but from what you've said and what Carlisle has seen in your blood results, Oscar had been injecting you with werewolf DNA."

Edward looked down at his right arm and ran his fingers along the bite marks.

"So, what you're telling me is that I have vampire, werewolf, and human DNA swirling around in my body."

He said this in an eerily calm voice.

"Yes," I said softly.

He looked away from me and stared out the window.

"I'm a ticking time bomb…" he muttered in a hollow voice.

* * *

I got up early, creeping past Edward who was asleep on the couch. The storm had calmed down just a little before sunrise, allowing us to sleep. Edward had offered to sleep on the couch, making it clear that he wouldn't be sharing Jacob's spare bed with me.

Sadly, I'd wrapped myself in my blankets and fallen into a deep sleep alone.

I woke up suddenly that morning, not knowing what had woken me. Unfortunately, once I was awake, I couldn't get back to sleep. After tossing and turning for a while longer, I grabbed the quilt from the bed and went outside. Sitting down on Jake's front steps, I stared out across the field in front of his house, lost in thought.

I didn't notice the stranger approaching until he'd made it half-way up Jake's driveway. At first, I'd thought that he was one of Jake's neighbors, but as he got closer I saw that he was not one of the Quileutes. My heart gave a startled leap, causing me to stand up and begin to back away. Sam had patrols monitoring the borders day and night, so it seemed strange that someone I didn't recognize would on the reservation. The stranger looked like he was in his 30's and had shaggy black hair and pale skin. He was handsome, but not in a way that stood out and while he was broad-shouldered and large, it wasn't physically imposing like Jake and the others. I noted that the man's walk was also casual as he took his time approaching me, which gave me enough time to really look at him.

Wearing jeans, a faded t-shirt, and a pale blue button down shirt with sneakers that looked like they were from Wal-Mart, he would have blended into any crowd easily. However, when he was closer, I saw that there was one thing that did stand out about him. His eyes were a startling pale blue that were a stark contrast to his hair. He was not the kind of man that you would notice if you passed him on the street, but if you were to come face to face with him like I was now you wouldn't be able to tear your eyes away from his.

Stopping a few feet away from me, he smiled broadly.

"Hello, Bella. Fancy meeting you here!"

"I'm sorry?" I said, looking at him more closely. "Do I know you?"

"No," he responded with a larger smile, "but you will."

His words hung in the air between us.

At first, I was confused by his statement, but the look in his eyes as he waited for my response started to make my blood run cold.

He didn't approach me any further, but just stood in front of me looking at me as if he were cataloguing my appearance.

As the silence lengthened, I became more and more afraid. It was as if my survival instincts had suddenly become hyperaware of the danger in front of me. With this awareness, I started noticing that there were things about him that didn't seem quite right. He was like a painting, which when looked at from far away seemed smooth and uniform, but the closer you got to it the more cracks or flaws you began to see.

His clothes were wrinkled and smudged with dirt as if he'd been sleeping in them outdoors. His shaggy hair was long enough that it gave him an unkempt look. His smile was wide, but it didn't reach his eyes. However, the most sinister flaw was a thick white scar that peaked out of the collar of his shirt. The scar cut across his Adam's apple to just above his jugular. None of these things, except for the scar, would normally cause anyone to pause, but together they set off warning bells in my head.

My instincts were telling me that he was the psychopath that had torn Edward's and my lives apart.

When my eyes met his again, my heart began to hammer in my chest. They were such a light blue that they looked glassy as they stared back at me. I wanted to look away, but I felt pinned under his gaze.

"Like what you see?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a leer. Raising his hand, he brushed his hair out of his eyes which broke the trance that I was under.

I pulled my eyes away from his, my breathing shallow.

"Who are you?" I asked in a small voice, hoping that what my instincts were telling me was wrong.

Tilting his chin down towards me, he said, "I would have thought that Edward would have told you."

He reached out his hand to shake mine.

"My name is Oscar."

His lips twisted in an ugly smile, but his amusement didn't reach his eyes. They were cold and dark, barely blinking as he stared at me as if he were dissecting me.

I scrambled away from him, but then froze. I couldn't go into the cabin because I couldn't let Oscar know that Edward was near. As much as I was afraid, I couldn't risk him finding Edward.

"What do you want?" I asked fearfully.

"I thought that would be clear," he said with a barking laugh. "I want him," he continued, never looking away from me.

At his words, I suddenly felt the presence of Edward behind me and my breath caught in my throat.

"We had an agreement, Edward… You broke it… I don't know how you got away, but I warned you. And now I'm here…" he said, stepping back and looking around with open hands as if he were asking us to look at our surroundings with him. Then he fixed his eyes back on me. "Yes… here I am… in the middle of your territory, your family, your…" he smiled even wider, "… your herd."

I felt myself becoming dizzy from lack of oxygen, not able to take a breath under his gaze.

It was at this moment that a commotion broke out behind the house and then the sound of growling roared from all around me.

"Oscar, step away from her," Jake's voice snarled from beside me.

He stepped close to Oscar and into my line of sight.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

To any other person, Jacob's proximity would have been intimidating, but besides a flicker of his eyes Oscar never broke eye contact with me.

I could feel people closing ranks around me and from the scent they were both vampire and shifter.

"I would have thought that as wolves you would know how we hunt… It's instinctual. And yet you leave your weak and vulnerable unguarded," he said, not answering Jake's question as his eyes trailed slowly down my body before returning to my eyes. My stomach clenched in fear as a light ignited in his eyes. It was the look of a predator that was sensing an impending hunt.

"Stop looking at her!" Edward yelled hoarsely, stepping in between us.

Oscar's gaze shifted to Edward.

"How are you feeling Edward? Have you got the headache? Is your skin beginning to itch? It's coming! Can you feel it?" he asked with a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

"You won't like it this time, but soon you'll learn to relish in the pain."

Emmett growled and took a step forward.

"Ah... ah.. ah… Not so fast… Remember your visitor last night? I have many of them… Some are like me and others are of your kind," he said, gesturing towards Sam's pack. "They're just waiting to take vengeance on you depraved creatures for all that they've lost. They're just waiting for a word from me," he said with a smirk.

"What do you want?" Jasper asked, in a cold voice.

"I want Edward. We had an agreement- the safety of his loved ones for his cooperation. He broke that agreement, but I'm willing to overlook it if he comes with me."

The growling around me was deafening.

I reached up from my seat on the ground and gripped Edward's hand, squeezing hard.

"He's not going anywhere with you," Emmett snarled.

"No?" he said, raising his eyebrow in false surprise. "Well, I can't say that I didn't warn you."

He began to turn away from us.

"You can kill me. I know you want to, but I'm not afraid to die. I have nothing to lose… You do," he said with a smile of contempt before turning his back on us and walking away.

He turned back once more looking at us as he walked backwards.

"You really should keep closer tabs on your loved ones," he said before turning away with a chuckle.

The minute he was out of sight, all hell broke loose.

As everything went crazy around us, Edward crouched down next to me and cupped my face in his hands.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a frantic look in his eyes.

I couldn't speak, but I nodded my head.

He sat down next to me and pulled me into a rough embrace.

"It'll be alright. Everything will be alright…" he said soothingly, but his arms held me tightly against him.

"Who's missing?" Sam shouted. "He said that we should keep closer tabs on our loved ones. Contact everyone you can think of!"

People scattered in all directions as they tried to discover who'd been taken.

"How did he get on to the reservation without anyone noticing?" Emmett yelled at Sam.

"Are you blaming us? You were patrolling too!" Quil retorted.

They continued to argue, but I tuned it all out. I pressed my head against Edward's chest and concentrated on the thumping of his heart beat.

Then, suddenly, Jasper's voice broke through my concentration.

"I can't get a hold of Carlisle or Esme. It says that their phone is out of service."

Everyone fell silent.

Carlisle and Esme never shut off their phones.

* * *

We returned to Jake's house late that evening.

After a day of panic and turmoil, some plans had been made. With the news that Carlisle and Esme were missing, people started to contact their relatives that didn't live on the reservation. No one had realized until that moment that anyone beyond Forks could be in danger.

Decisions had been made, however. The pack was going to guard the reservation while the Cullens split up to look for Carlisle, Esme, and Oscar. Emmett and Rosalie went to Seattle to the last place we'd seen Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle had spoken to Alice earlier in the day and he'd told her that they were on route to a small clinic where he'd be able to do more tests on Edward's blood. Jasper, who was the best tracker, was going to work on finding Oscar and his pack. He and Alice left shortly after Emmett and Rosalie. Both pairs said that they would check in when they found something, but my phone never rang all afternoon.

Edward and I visited with Charlie for a short time, but beyond a haunted look in his eyes he didn't bring anything up for which I was grateful.

Edward had been very quiet all day, but then again so had I. I felt almost detached from myself, like I was standing outside of my own body watching. Meeting Oscar had shaken me to my core. When he'd looked at me, I'd felt completely weak and vulnerable. Even with James, I hadn't felt so helpless. With James, I had understood his motives, but with Oscar all I could feel was that he was sizing me up as prey.

I wrapped my arms across my chest and tried to will myself to calm down. I told myself that Oscar was just one man and that I was in the midst of a group of supernatural beings, but the coldness didn't seem to go away.

The power was still out, so Edward lit a fire while I huddled on the couch.

"Are you hungry?" I asked him to fill the silence. Food was the last thing on my mind even though neither of us had eaten all day.

"No," he responded, "You?"

"No," I answered.

The silence lengthened between us.

Then, Edward stood up and looked at me.

"Bella?" he asked.

"Yeah?" I said, looking back at him.

He strode over to me and crouched down in front of me. Taking my hands in his, he stared into my eyes with a feverish look in them.

"I will not let anything happen to you," he vowed.

I nodded, but I still couldn't feel anything.

"I will not let him hurt you, Bella," he promised, cupping my face in his hands and staring into my eyes fiercely.

"Do you hear me? He will never touch you!"

Still the coldness inside of me didn't dissipate.

After staring into my eyes for a moment longer, he pulled me into a rough embrace, kissing my forehead and clutching me to his chest.

"I will protect you, Bella," he said, pulling my face up to his again and capturing my lips.

His kiss was hot, needy… desperate. It was as if he was trying with his body to calm his fears as well as mine.

The intensity of his touch awakened something inside of me. The coldness started to leach out of my body, and I started to come alive. I slid my hands into his bronze hair and kissed him in reply, long and deep, pressing my body against his. He made an inarticulate noise when I began to respond, the sound reverberating through me, as he ran his hands down my back and sides. The heat of his fingers seeped through the material of my shirt, further stoking the fire that was beginning to burn inside of me.

He pulled himself away from me, only to drag the blankets off the couch and onto the floor in front of the fire, before tugging me down with him.

I moaned as his hands moved feverishly over my body. My blood pulsed through my veins, the pounding of my heart loud in my ears as his lips dragged down my throat, his hand yanking the loose material of Jake's shirt down so that he could reach my collarbone. I could feel his own pounding heart against my breasts, and his need pressed against me.

We undressed each other in a frenzy, attempting to kiss every part that was uncovered. Then, naked and gasping, Edward pulled me over so that I was straddling him, my bare thighs on the outside of his.

Face to face, we looked into each other's eyes and I saw the turmoil, fear, and passion reflected in his eyes. For a moment, I thought that he was going to pull away, but then without warning he pulled me down onto him. We both cried out at the sensation and

Edward clutched my hips, his hands shaking.

This time there was no pain, only a heat that burned deep inside as I moved on top of him.

"Bella…" he whispered with an agonized moan, slowing our movements.

His jaw clenched and his eyes squeezed shut as a war waged inside of him as he tried to regain control.

"Shhh…" I whispered, kissing along the column of his neck before burying my face against his shoulder and losing myself in him.

He wrapped his arms around me as I rocked atop him, allowing himself to get lost in the moment as well.

It was fast and furious, spurned on by fear. I felt a quickening deep inside me and found myself moving faster and harder on top of him in response. His body moved with me as he clutched me tight.

With my hands wrapped around his head, he clung to me and groaned against my breast as we reached our climax.

"Oh, God," Edward whispered reverently as we rested against each other, our breathing slowing.

Once we'd caught our breath, Edward pulled his head away from mine in order to look into my eyes. He brushed my hair back from my face and kissed my cheeks, my forehead, and my lips before looking into my eyes once more.

"Bella, I will protect you. I will never let anyone touch you."

This time his voice was calm and there was a certainty in his eyes that made the vice that had been gripping my heart loosen.

Lying back, he pulled me with him, cradling me against his chest as we began to relax.

Then, turning onto his side, he reached out and trailed his fingertips over my lips and down my neck where they came to rest. With his thumb, he caressed the edge of my jaw.

After a while, he pulled me against him and wrapped the blankets around us, cocooning us in a pocket of warmth in front of the fire.

I pressed my head against his chest and let the sound of his heartbeat lull me to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: **If some of you are thinking that Bella seems too weak, she will have her time to shine later in the story.


	24. Battling Monsters

**A/N: **_Sorry for the wait folks. I`ve been sick, so this chapter didn`t come easy. __As always, if you enjoy my story, drop me a line._

**BATTLING MONSTERS**

I was woken early in the morning by a voice from my past.

Oscar had found us.

My eyes flew open and my thoughts went immediately to Bella. I knew that I couldn't let him near her at any cost. I had to keep her safe.

Not even a second later, I heard her soft voice answering him and my blood ran cold.

I bolted up off the couch and lunged for the door, not even really knowing what I was doing.

When I saw him standing only inches from Bella, I had a flash of memory.

_Oscar paced back and forth in front of my cage cursing and snarling, before spinning towards the wall and pounding his fists against it._

Bella's voice pulled me back to the moment. She was asking him what he wanted, and he laughed coldly in response saying that he wanted me.

I stared at him, trying to gauge whether he was telling the truth and if he would really leave Bella alone if I went with him, but no matter how hard I tried, I was unable to read the emotions on his face.

Bella seemed to feel my presence behind her as her breath caught nervously.

Oscar noticed me too and his eyes flickered between Bella and I before settling back on her.

"We had an agreement, Edward… You broke it… I don't know how you got away, but I warned you. And now I'm here…" he looked around with open hands. "Yes… here I am… in the middle of your territory, your family, your…" he grinned, "… your herd."

It was then that I noticed a snarling pack of wolves emerging from the surrounding forest and closing in around us. Oscar seemed unfazed by their arrival and kept his gaze fixed on Bella. As Jake stepped up into his line of sight I could feel the tension mounting, but Oscar maintained his fixed stare on Bella, eyeing her up and down. I felt her tense at his action and it pushed me over the edge.

"Stop looking at her!" I yelled at him and pulled her behind me, sheltering her from his predatory stare.

My movement seemed to satisfy Oscar and he sneered at me. "How are you feeling Edward? Have you got the headache? Is your skin beginning to itch? It's coming! Can you feel it? You won't like it this time, but soon you'll learn to relish in the pain."

I hadn't even seen the arrival of my family, but I caught movement to my side as did Oscar. "Ah... ah.. ah… Not so fast… Remember your visitor last night? I have many of them… Some are like me and others are of your kind," he gestured towards the wolves. "They're just waiting to take vengeance on you depraved creatures for all that they've lost. They're just waiting for a word from me," he smirked.

"What do you want?" I heard Jasper ask.

I kept my stare fixed on Oscar, not daring to look away in case he attacked. However, I started to feel a peculiar oppressive sort of weight on the back of my neck and head. I rubbed at it, trying to get rid of the feeling, but the feeling only got worse until suddenly there was a roaring in my mind that began to drown out Oscar's voice.

"I want Edward. We had an agreement- the safety-"

_...…__.I'm going to kill them all…..._

"-of his loved ones for his cooperation. He broke that agreement, but I'm willing to overlook it if he comes with me.

I flinched and looked to my left and right as the words tore through my brain. It had felt like someone had pressed their mouth against my ear and hissed into it. It was painful and invasive, but gone just as quickly as it had come.

It had been Oscar's voice, but I'd been looking directly at him and he had not uttered the threat out loud. I looked to my left and right again, trying to see if there was anyone else with Oscar that could have spoken, but he was alone.

In confusion, I turned my attention back to Oscar. The only explanation was that he had done something. He was a werewolf. I didn't really know what that meant exactly, but it was supernatural. Maybe he had the power to speak telepathically.

Then, Bella's words from earlier rang in my head.

"_You were able to read minds as a vampire."_

It was me. I was the one reading his thoughts, not the other way around.

I focused harder on Oscar, hoping that I'd be able to hear more of his thoughts, but the wolves growling around me was deafening.

At least what I'd heard was enough. He wasn't going to let my loved ones go. Regardless of my decision, he was going to try to kill everyone.

It was then that I felt Bella's little hand squeezing mine as hard as she could.

I knew without a doubt that I would have to fight for her or die trying. I had no other alternative.

It would be for the best to become a monster- either vampire or werewolf. At least as a monster, I would have the strength to protect her.

* * *

When we returned to the cabin, Bella's emotional disconnect frightened me. Ever since I'd met her, Bella had never held herself back from me. Even when I'd rebuffed her, ignored her, yelled at her, hurt her time and time again, she continued to try to love me and comfort me.

However, suddenly it was as if she wasn't _Bella_ anymore and that scared me more than anything.

I immediately pulled her close and vowed to protect her, but she still didn't come back to me. So, I kissed her and tried to show her that I would do anything to keep her safe. I blocked out the side of me that was aroused by the feel of her in my arms. My sole intention was to comfort her. I told myself repeatedly that I couldn't ever lose control again. However, when she didn't respond I knew that I had to try harder.

I kissed her fervently, willing her to respond., but she continued to be cold and distant in my arms.

Bit by bit, my frustration chipped away at the wall that I'd placed between us. Therefore, when she suddenly came alive under my hands, I completely lost control. Without thinking, I pulled roughly at her, dragging her to the floor where we clawed at each other's clothing until we were both undressed and panting with desire.

I wasn't sure whether she straddled me or I dragged her on top of me. However, as she was poised above me, I had a moment to stop what was happening. When I looked into her eyes glazed with desire, I lost all resolve and pulled her down onto me.

I knew that I needed to remain in control, but as my senses went into overdrive it felt like everything was closing in around me- the smells, the colors, her pounding heart. It was all so intense that I couldn't stop myself from holding Bella's hips hard as she rode me. I wanted the moment to last, I wanted to gaze at her face and fix it in my memory, but everything was spiralling out of my control. Her face, the firelight, everything blurred. With a final groan, I gave up and closed my eyes, letting myself fall.

* * *

I was startled awake by the door to the cabin flying open and someone shouting in my ear.

…_...…... Jesus!…...…..._

I sat up abruptly, knocking Bella away from me. My heart thudded in my chest as adrenaline coursed through me. I looked for the speaker who sounded like they were right next to me, but the only person in the room besides Bella and myself was Jacob who stood by the door staring at us in shock.

Shaking off the confusion, I quickly threw more of the blanket over Bella in an attempt to cover what I'm sure Jake had already seen as he quickly wrenched his eyes away from us.

I felt a flare of anger at our privacy being invaded, but quickly remembered as my heart rate returned to normal that we were the ones who had invaded Jake'_s_ home, not the other way around.

"What's going on?" I asked in a raspy voice. The wood fire had dried my throat to the point where my voice was barely a croak.

"Jasper and Alice are back. Also, Charlie's insisting on leaving the reservation to go to the police station, so we need Bella to try to reason with him."

"I'll be right there." Bella' s voice was muffled as she tried to hide herself from Jake.

I smiled for a moment, looking down at Bella who was beet red from embarrassment.

When I turned my attention back to Jacob, his back was already to us as he opened the front door.

"Okay. I'll wait for you outside," he said, gruffly as he closed the door a little too forcefully.

Suddenly, the alien pressure clamped itself onto my brain again accompanied by the muted roar.

…_...… Jesus!… of all the time to stop for a fuck!…...…_

Jake's thoughts stabbed through my brain, causing me to flinch in pain. His voice inside my head was louder than Oscar's had been yesterday. It was almost as if he had shouted his thoughts at me.

I tried to smooth the lines of pain off my face, not wanting Bella to know that something was going on until I had time to figure out for myself what was happening.

As soon as the door was shut, we began pulling on our clothes that were strewn everywhere. Once we were dressed, I pulled Bella to her feet and we stood facing each other. There was a lot that needed to be said, but instead of speaking I just relished in the fact that my Bella was back in her eyes and not the emptiness that had been there the night before.

I pulled her into my arms, burying my face in her hair and inhaling deeply. As Bella melted against me with a sigh, I tried to relax myself as well. I was scared and just plain disconcerted by the invasion of others` thoughts in my head. It was the first tangible indication that I was other than human. It was undeniably supernatural, but while I was upset by this sudden change in me, I was also accepting of it. I had to embrace this side of me if I were to protect Bella.

With a final deep breath, I stepped away from her only to take her hand in mine as we left the cabin.

* * *

Jake walked with us to Billy's where the other members of the pack were waiting.

I could hear Charlie's raised voice coming from the window of the kitchen before we had even entered the cabin.

"I can't stay here! I have a job to do and hiding here is not part of it. You can't stop me from leaving Billy! I'm not your prisoner!"

At the sound of his voice, Bella let out a long sigh.

"I've got to go talk to Charlie," she said, looking up at me.

"Okay. Do you want me to come too?" I asked.

"No. I have to reason with him on my own. It might take me a while. He's really stubborn. Will you be ok?" she asked, squeezing my hand.

"Sure," I said with a reassuring smile. "I'll stay here with the others. Take your time with your dad."

Standing up on her tiptoes, she pulled my head down to hers for a soft kiss before heading towards the kitchen.

I heard a huff from my left and with annoyance I turned to glare at Jake.

"What?" I snapped, remembering his earlier thoughts.

"Nothing," he said, looking startled by my tone.

Without another word, he led the way into the living room where everyone else was waiting.

I looked around the room, before my eyes fell on Alice and Jasper. I had at one point in time been very comfortable around them and had even started accepting that they were my family. But now that I knew the truth about them, it was hard to look at them in the same way. Being vampires, they were considered by most people in the world as monsters. But then again, I was quickly realizing, I was just as much of a monster or maybe more.

I took a deep breath at this thought.

If I wanted to have any hope of protecting Bella, I had to embrace that inner monster.

So, instead of acting on my instinct to get away from them, I sat down in a chair on the opposite side of the room and watched the others as they milled around talking in subdued voices.

Alice and Jasper reported that Oscar's trail disappeared on the outskirts of the reservation. He probably had a vehicle waiting for him, knowing that he would be followed. They also said that they had been in contact with Rosalie and Emmett, but as of yet there was no news about Carlisle and Esme. They had never reached the hospital that they had been planning on taking my blood samples to, but there was also no sign of a struggle at the house in Seattle. It was like they had just disappeared.

Distracting myself from these disturbing thoughts, I thought back to the last two days and the experience of hearing Oscar and Jacob's thoughts. These moments were the key to unlocking the monster inside me. Therefore, I focused on trying to reconstruct the circumstances that had occurred prior to them.

There was a certain feeling to it, I knew that, a tightness in the back of my head and a sort of pressure against my skull from all sides followed by a sound which was almost like the crashing of waves in the ocean.

I turned my attention to Jake and tried to listen for his thoughts again, but nothing happened.

I closed my eyes and tried again, but beyond a slight pressure that wrapped itself around my forehead the roar that preceded the thoughts never came.

With a sigh of frustration, I turned my attention to Quil who was sitting next to Jacob, but again, nothing happened.

Reluctantly, I turned my attention to Alice. If I wasn't able to break into the thoughts of a shifter maybe I would be able to hear the thoughts of a vampire.I stared at her and concentrated on trying to hear her thoughts, but again nothing happened. I closed my eyes and surprisingly it seemed to help. At first, everything was black, but as I concentrated a picture began to form in my head. Before me there seemed to be a blank wall - impenetrable and silent. Tentatively, I pushed at it, but it didn't move. I took a deep breath and hurled myself entirely into the struggle. My head began to swim and little dots swirled in front of my eyes as I pushed harder.

Then, suddenly the wall gave way almost as if I had punctured it and with that puncture a torrent of thoughts poured into my head. They were coming so fast that I couldn't separate one from the next, so they just became a jumble of words and sensations.

…_...…Oscar...…safety…... …..trail…... Sam...…Esme...…tests...…blood…...mutt…...Edward…...blood…Carlisle…danger…..kill…blood….Jasper….threat…Bella anger danGER EDWARD DANGERHURTEDWARDOKAYOKAY?EDWARD?HELPJASPER THOUGHTSHELPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP _

I couldn't stop the thoughts screaming in my head as I fought to close the hole in the wall where everyone's thoughts were gushing out of.

I felt a pair of cold hands gripping my own as they pressed themselves over my ears.

"Edward, are you okay?" I recognised the voice of Alice and although I heard the question, I couldn't respond as everybody's thoughts continued to assault me.

"You all have to leave! All of you! Now!" Someone was shouting in the background.

Alice's hands squeezed mine gently.

"Edward breathe slowly. They're leaving. It'll get better soon. Just breathe."

And it did get better. A feeling of calm started to seep into my body which allowed me to plug the hole in the wall, but I could still feel all of their thoughts pressing against my mind from behind the barrier.

"Edward?"

Bella's warm hands replaced Alice's as I continued to press firmly against the hole in the wall that separated everyone's thoughts from mine.

"Everybody is leaving. It'll get better soon," she said, soothingly, which caused me to shudder in relief.

The pressure of the thoughts on the other side of the wall gradually lessened and eventually stopped. Hesitantly, I released the force that I had been using to plug the hole and to my relief no thoughts poured out. I could hear the muted rumble of them moving behind the wall, but there was again a barrier between us.

I opened my eyes and looked into Bella's worried face.

"I'm okay… It's okay now…" I said, breathing heavily.

I took a moment and laid my head back on the couch, but as soon as I felt in control of myself again I looked around the room.

"Where did everybody go?" I asked, anxiously.

I couldn't give up now. If I didn't forge ahead, I would lose the courage to try again.

"They left. They didn't want their thoughts to hurt you. You were hearing everyone's thoughts, weren't you? That's what Jasper thought was happening to you," Bella responded.

"Call them back. I need to try again," I said, trying to push myself to my feet, but Bella pushed on my chest, keeping me seated on the couch.

"No, Edward. You can't. It was hurting you," she explained.

"Bella," I said, pulling her hands away from my chest. "I have to do this. I have to be able to defend myself. To defend you."

"What? Edward, what are you talking about?"

"I need to make myself stronger. I can't protect you from Oscar as a human."

Bella gasped and grabbed my chin forcing me to meet her eyes.

"You don't want to be human?"

"I have to be stronger, so I shouldn't prolong the inevitable. As a vampire or werewolf, I'll be able to protect you," I reasoned.

"Edward, we are surrounded by supernatural creatures…" she responded. "They can protect us.

"Bella, I promised to protect you and I will. However, I need to stop fighting the instincts inside of me. Fighting them is only making me weaker. If I explore them, maybe they can help us."

"No," she said firmly. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to force yourself to change."

The rumble of thoughts surged again behind the wall and I clenched my eyes shut as the pain resurfaced.

"Bella," Jasper said from the doorway. "Edward is right. By not exploring these instincts it is more dangerous for him and us because they are going to continue to surface at unexpected moments. We all want Edward to stay human, but we can't deny what's happening."

I met Jasper's eyes, but his were unreadable.

"Edward, I think that I may be able to help you learn to control your ability to read people's thoughts. It isn't much different than feeling other people's emotions. I may be able teach you to block them, but we'll have to get away from everyone in order to try."

"Okay," I said quietly.

* * *

After lunch, Jasper and I headed out. By the time we left, I was ready to pull my hair out because while only Bella, Jasper, and I were in the house, I could feel the thoughts of Billy's neighbours pushing against my mind as well.

Bella gripped my hands tightly in both of hers as I got ready to go.

I wanted to stay with her, but I promised that I would protect her. I wouldn't let Oscar touch her, so I had to learn to control this creature inside.

"I have to go. Alice will stay here with you."

She smiled sadly and nodded.

It took Jasper and I about an hour to reach a clearing in the forest. It was a long walk, but I relished in the way that the pressure on my brain ebbed with each step. It was still strong from Jasper's direction, but I was able to manage it because the others' thoughts were much weaker.

"Okay, Edward," Jasper said, putting a bag on the ground before turning towards me. "When you tapped into your mind-reading before, what did you do?"

"When I concentrated on reading Alice's thoughts, I saw a wall standing in front of me. I pushed on it and eventually burrowed a hole through it, which caused everyone's thoughts to start to pour out," I explained.

"Okay, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Try to imagine the wall again. Do you see it?"

I closed my eyes like he said and took a deep breath. Again, the wall stood in front of me, but unlike before it seemed almost translucent and I could see what looked almost like wisps of smoke swirling behind it.

"Yes," I said, shakily. I knew what I was going to have to do. I was going to have to open the hole again and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to close it again.

"What do I do?"

"You're going to have to knock down the wall. I can only teach you what to do if the wall is gone."

My eyes flew open in horror.

"What? I can't do that! Are you crazy?"

"Edward, you have to. I have to teach you how to block out other people's thoughts, but also how to lower the wall if you need to. We can only do that if we take the wall down."

I took another deep shaky breath, knowing that I had to trust him but absolutely terrified at the prospect. If he wasn't able to teach me how to put up a block after I knocked the wall down, I would lose my mind.

I nodded reluctantly and closed my eyes again.

The wall was there again. However, this time when I pushed hesitantly on it, the wall gave quite easily teetering on the edge of falling down.

"Keep going, Edward. Knock down the wall."

Gathering my courage, I shoved at the wall and was immediately assaulted by Jasper's thoughts as it toppled to the ground.

He was thinking about so many things at once that it made me feel dizzy. Alice had told me that a vampire could concentrate on many things at one time and I could see that it was true. He was thinking about Alice, about Oscar, about helping me, about Carlisle and Esme, but under it all was the desire for blood. Even though he was here trying to help me, he was also thirsty. He could hear my heart pounding and the blood pumping through my veins and he craved it.

"No, no, no!" I shouted throwing my hands up in front of me as if I could protect myself from his thoughts.

In a panic, I fought to put the wall back in place. I could feel his thirst for me and as his every thought poured into mine I thirsted too.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I can't control that part of me. It's just a part of being a vampire," he apologized.

I felt a wave of relaxation settle on me which caused me to be able to bear Jasper's thoughts.

"Okay, " he said. "Stop fighting it. Close your eyes and open up your mind to everything around you."

I did as he said and was again overwhelmed by his thoughts, but also of those of the others. Even though we were far away from the house, I could still hear their thoughts faintly.

"Now," he continued. "Focus on each person's thoughts. Can you separate Alice from the rest?"

I could. Alice was thinking about me and Jasper, but she was also thinking about the same things that Jasper was thinking about and again the desire for blood permeated everything.

"Have you isolated her?" Jasper asked, bringing me back to the task at hand.

"Yes."

"Okay. Now, try to block her. Try to create your own wall that forms a barrier between you and her."

I focused my thoughts on creating a wall. In my mind, I actually visualized a large slab of rock that I put in place before releasing it. Once it had settled in place, I opened my eyes and looked at Jasper.

"Okay, I've blocked her," I said, my voice slightly strained at the pressure that the block put on my mind.

"Push it to the back of your mind. Compartmentalize it and lock it away. Now, move on to Jacob…."

We continued that way until I had blocked off everyone in the house like small bricks that formed a wall all around me. I felt like my head was ready to explode with the amount of concentration that it took, but hearing only my thoughts was a relief. The most difficult was blocking Jasper because he was so close.

"Okay, it's just me now," I said, trying to sound relaxed. I could still hear thoughts rumbling behind the barrier that I had built, but it was bearable.

"Good. You're doing great, but that was the easy part," Jasper said with a faint smirk.

"Here," he said, handing me a skipping rope.

Then, the stress really began.

* * *

After what felt like hours, I was exhausted, but the block that I had created against everyone's thoughts rested easier in my mind.

Jasper had pushed me to my limit mentally and physically. As I'd struggled to keep the barrier in place, he had dragged me through a multitude of different physical exercises.

Once I'd managed to keep the barriers in place while skipping rope. He started to ask me to unblock and block certain people while still continuing to push me physically.

I could tell that Jasper was surprised by how much I was able to take and I was as well. I'd always been in good shape, but I had far exceeded the kind of physical endurance that I'd been able to do in the past.

That being said, as the sun started to set, I sat down on a rock, feeling completely and utterly depleted.

"Ready to go?"I asked, rubbing my hands over my face and through my hair. I was feeling more confident about rejoining the rest. Holding the barrier only encompassed a corner of my mind now, leaving the rest to myself.

But when Jasper didn't answer, I felt a surge of unease.

I opened my eyes to see that Jasper was frozen in his tracks.

"Edward, don't move," he said in a low voice.

I dropped the barriers in my mind at his defensive posture knowing that something was wrong and I immediately heard the thoughts of the wolves coming from all around us.

A gigantic dark brown wolf took a step out of the tree line and crouched in an aggressive posture, pulling its lips back and showing its teeth as it stared at Jasper.

"Edward, back away slowly," Jasper said calmly, never taking his eyes off the wolf.

At Jasper's voice, the wolf took another step forward letting out a long drawn-out growl.

Jasper's lip curled up in response and I could hear the low rumble of a growl deep in his chest as well.

I started to back away one step at a time, but when I began to move the wolf turned its eyes on me. I froze as its eyes burned into mine. It let out a louder growl and crouched down low, clearly preparing to charge in my direction. As its body started to tense a second before leaping, Jasper lunged.

They rolled to the ground both emitting growls and snarls, dirt and grass exploding around them. Biting and scratching, they were moving so quickly that it was hard for me to see who had the upper hand.

Suddenly, they broke apart. The wolf scrambled backwards before charging forward. Again, they tumbled to the ground and for a moment it seemed like the wolf was winning. The beast bit down on Jasper's shoulder, thrashing its head back and forth as it tried to tear Jasper apart. However, instead of trying to dislodge the wolf's grip on his shoulder, Jasper grabbed one of the wolf's legs and with a sharp twist broke it. With a howl of pain, the wolf let go, giving Jasper the time to shove the creature off of him. The force literally propelled the beast into the trees.

So fast that I was barely able to register movement, Jasper was on his feet and coming towards me.

Unfortunately, neither of us noticed the gray wolf that had been camouflaged against an outcropping of rock until it was too late, and as Jasper turned, the beast streaked out from behind us, leaping onto his back. He stumbled to the side as the wolf sunk its teeth into his injured shoulder. Jasper shook himself trying to dislodge it, but the creature held on. Staggering back and forth, Jasper rammed them against a tree which splintered under their weight. One of the jagged pieces sliced into the wolf's haunch, which caused it to howl in pain and let go of its grip.

Not giving it time to get away, Jasper threw himself on top of the wolf. As they crashed to the ground, there was a sickening crunch. The wolf let out one last howl of pain before going still.

Suddenly growls erupted from all around us. My eyes darted around the clearing and I saw a circle of wolves emerging from the woods.

Jasper leaped to his feet with a snarl and began moving in a circle, trying to look in every direction at once, but he was outnumbered five to one.

I watched in horror at the scene unfolding in front of me.

Jasper was going to die and I would soon follow.

The wolves closed their circle around him, but stood their ground. Only one stepped forward, its dark gray hair bristling as it bared its teeth. Jasper turned to face this new threat. I wanted to yell at him to run, but I was afraid that any distraction would mean his death, so I watched in horror as they circled each other.

Jasper held his ground waiting for the wolf to make its move. It seemed less cautious than the other ones. It snarled and snapped, while Jasper remained calm. He seemed unfazed by the fact that he was outnumbered.

When the wolf leaped, Jasper was ready. It seemed at first as if Jasper was cowering from the wolf's attack, but just as the creature leaped Jasper hurled himself into the air as well. They collided in mid-air with a resounding crash, allowing Jasper the opportunity to wrap his arms around the creature, squeezing tight as he buried his teethinto its neck. As his teeth let go, blood spurted out of the wound spraying Jasper's face and hair.

Something terrible happened at that moment. As the smell of blood struck me, I was horrified to feel my mouth start to water. Utter disgust filled me at the sensation and yet it still took everything in me not to go towards the scent. I grabbed a hold of a fistful of my own hair, hoping that the pain would distract me from the monstrous craving and allow me to concentrate on the fight in front of me.

It was then that I noticed that three of the creatures were creeping up behind Jasper as another stood its ground in front of him. Seeing that Jasper wouldn't be able to protect his back, I pushed the blood lust aside and stepped towards the fight.

"Hey! Over here!"

All of their heads snapped towards me, causing me to begin to back away as I realized that I'd just signed my death warrant.

"Edward, get out of here!" Jasper shouted, lunging at the creature closest to him.

Two of the creatures turned back towards him, but two remained focused on me.

One began slowly stalking towards me, its eyes yellow fire. The other, a very large black wolf, shadowed it. I tried to back up further, but I found that I was cornered. I'd backed myself up against a large rock.

As they came closer, the yellow eyed wolf crouched low to the ground ready to leap. I raised my arms in a feeble attempt to protect myself, but before it was able to make a move, the black wolf leaped on its back. Gripping the back of the yellow eyed wolf's neck, the black one forced it to the ground. A loud whine escaped the wolf who was pressed to the ground, but the one on its back held firm with a loud warning growl.

At the sound of the trapped wolf's whine, one of the wolves that had been focused on Jasper broke away and came to its pack mate's rescue.

The black wolf shook the yellow eyed wolf once before letting it go and turning towards the other attacker. The wolf on the ground crawled away from the fight, its high pitched whining never abating as it slunk into the undergrowth

In the meantime, the black wolf and the grey one circled each other before launching themselves at each other. They tumbled to the ground, end over end, claws and fangs tearing and ripping. The yelps and howls were deafening. However, in the end, the black one rose from the fight bloodied but alive while the other lay in a crumbled heap.

The black wolf turned on me then. For a moment, I thought that it was going to attack. It glared at me with a very human look of fury. But after a moment, it lifted its muzzle towards the sky and howled before shooting off into the woods in the direction of the yellow eyed wolf.

I turned and saw Jasper facing off with the last wolf. Both were bloodied and clearly injured. Jasper's right arm hung limp at his side and the wolf had a large gash across its haunch, which sprayed blood with every movement. They both lunged and snapped at each other before coming together one final time.

I gasped in horror as the wolf's jaws latched onto Jasper's neck. It was clearly a death hold, but Jasper didn't try to pull away. Instead he pulled the wolf closer with his good arm and with a roar, clamped down as hard as he could. For a moment, the wolf twisted and thrashed, digging its claws into Jasper's exposed flesh, but then with a whimper it went limp.

In relief, I sunk to the ground, letting out the breath that I had been holding.

After the battle, only three wolves were dead, the other injured wolves having escaped during the fight.

I turned back to Jasper, who stood over the carcass of the dead wolf panting heavily even though as a vampire he didn`t have to breathe. After staring down at the wolf at his feet for a moment, he looked up at me. Sprayed with blood and eyes wild from the kill, for the first time he looked like the monster that I'd read about.

My heart started to pound in fear as Jasper's desire for blood forced its way past my mental wall and invaded my mind.

I knew that I shouldn't be showing fear. Animals attacked when they sensed fear, but I couldn't stop myself.

As if in response to my thoughts, Jasper growled and took a step towards me.

"Jasper… no…" I gasped.

At my words, Jasper's whole body shuddered and the person that I had come to know returned to his eyes.

"Edward," he said, in a raspy voice. "We have to get back to the reservation. The others are in danger."


	25. A Meeting of the Minds

**A/N:**

Hi everyone,

I'm sure that many of you thought that I'd given up on the story, but I haven't. I've been really sick for the past several months, so I haven't felt well enough to write. I'm now feeling a lot better, so I've finished the chapter that I'd been working on before I fell ill. I hope that you'll stick with me because I promise you that I'm back. Thank you puff kitty and starla 1979. You both spurred me on to put the finishing touches to this chapter.

Until next time,

Mei Li

* * *

**ESME**

"Carlisle, are you sure that we should be leaving them? They need us," I said, with concern.

"I need to get Edward's blood and skin samples to the lab, so that I can do more research," he said without looking at me as we flew through the woods.

"I know that any tampering on my part could tip the delicate balance that is inside of him. However, if I do nothing, Edward will continue to be a ticking time bomb, so he will never be able to let his guard down, especially with Bella. And that will slowly kill them both," he said in a tone that sounded as if he were trying to convince himself as well as me.

My heart broke for him. Since Edward's return, Carlisle's confidence had taken many blows. There was so much that he didn't understand and hadn't anticipated that he was now doubting his every thought and action.

"I also can't in good conscience allow this epidemic to continue unchecked now that I know what has caused it. In 1918, there were studies in progress that were looking at using the blood of survivors to create a cure for the Spanish Influenza. In the beginning, I'd been a part of the research team, but when I decided to turn Edward I lost track of it," he continued in a tone that expressed that he saw it as another one of his catastrophic mistakes.

"The virus kills through an overreaction of the body's immune system, which is why young adults are the ones most seriously affected. The strong immune system reactions of young adults ravages their bodies, whereas those with weaker immune systems like children and middle-aged adults result in fewer deaths. So, why is Edward's enhanced immune system able to fight off the disease?"

I listened quietly as Carlisle talked. He wasn't talking to me anymore, but was simply verbalizing his train of thought as he tried to sort out the complexities of the problems facing us.

"It must be our vampire DNA," I interjected. "Edward only survived both onslaughts of the disease because he had it in his blood. As a human, he would have died within the day if you had not changed him. So, maybe it isn't Edward's DNA that we should be looking to for a cure, but ours."

Carlisle stopped speaking as he thought about what I'd said.

Suddenly, as the wind changed its direction, the scent of wolves struck me. I came to an abrupt halt, grabbing Carlisle's arm. They had been downwind of us, trying to approach without our knowing.

Before we had a chance to react, they came hurtling out of the trees growling and gnashing their teeth, forming a circle around us. I crouched low to the ground and prepared myself for an attack. Shifters were strong and we were outnumbered.

However, the wolves suddenly as a group fell silent, turning their head almost as one to look towards the trees. A man stepped out of the shadows and walked towards us, seemingly unconcerned about the tension rippling between us and the wolves. As he approached, the wolves parted in order to let him into the circle that we had been enclosed in.

While still remaining on guard ready for an attack, I looked at him curiously.

My first impression of the man walking towards me was the energy that he was giving off. While he looked human, I could instantly sense that there was some kind of animal inside of him fighting to get out. It wasn't like the shifters. Even though they turned into wolves, at their core they were human. This man was not. I'd never sensed anything like it before. While on the surface he would have appeared calm and collected to a human, to a vampire he practically vibrated with an undercurrent of energy. The kind of energy an animal gives off when they have stalked a prey and are ready for the kill.

"Please, everyone calm down. I don't want any violence," he said, trying to sound soothing. "I come in peace," he continued with a smile that was supposed to be disarming.

"If you come in peace, why did you sick your dogs on us," I said, not able to contain my anger.

As his eyes turned towards me, with warning bells sounded in my head. With absolute certainty, I knew that this was the man who had taken my son and tortured him for three years.

When his eyes met mine, I started in surprise. His eyes were the first thing that drew my attention. Not only were they an unusual pale blue, but their glassy appearance made him look slightly mad.

I felt an involuntary growl rumble in my chest and my lip curled as I tried unsuccessfully to suppress the urge to kill.

"I had to make sure that you wouldn't attack before I had the chance to explain myself. I'm sure that you have a lot of animosity towards me," he said in an exaggerated sad voice.

"You're Oscar, I presume," Carlisle said grimly.

"Why, yes I am," he said, a smile breaking across his face as he turned towards Carlisle.

"And you must be Carlisle. Edward told me a lot about you," he responded with an even larger smile.

At his mention of Edward, I saw Carlisle's jaw clench and anger flare in his eyes. However, he the refocused himself and a calmness entered his eyes as he focused all of his attention on Oscar. It was a look that I often saw when I would visit him at the hospital. His interest in the unexplained had probably always been a part of him even during his human life. His calling to be a doctor was not just his need to help others, but also his interest in taking apart complex cases in order to find the root of an illness. I could see that at that moment, he was pushing his emotions aside and focusing on drawing on that part of his personality.

When I looked back to Oscar, I saw the same look in his eyes. Gone was the false friendliness. Even the animalistic energy that had been pouring off of him had died down, replaced with stillness that came with extreme focus. They were sizing each other up, not physically, but intellectually. Jacob had told us that before Oscar and his wife were attacked by werewolves, he had been studying biochemistry.

Oscar looked away first and took a step back to join his pack. When he looked back at us again, the cold calculating focus was gone. With a broad smile, he opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.

"I'd like to cordially invite you to join me at my home. We have a lot to discuss. I think that we can learn a lot from each other. Edward told me that you had a great mind, Carlisle."

It was clear that Oscar's was mentioning Edward to throw Carlisle off balance. He had found Carlisle's weak spot and was trying to exploit it.

"Why would we ever choose to join you? It is clearly a trap," Carlisle responded, calmly.

"Oh come now. I'm merely looking to have a meeting of the minds. You'll be perfectly safe. Aren't you even slightly curious about what I'd like to talk about? I'm sure that there is a lot that you'd like to ask me. This is your only chance," he stated and then tilted his head to the side as he waited for our answer.

I looked at Carlisle at the same time that he looked at me. As our eyes met, I saw resolve settle into them a moment before he spoke.

"Ok, we'll join you," he said.

"Wonderful! Follow me," he responded before turning away. As we followed him, the shape shifters closed ranks around us.

After a few hours, Oscar stopped and turned to us.

"I apologize, but I'm going to have to leave you for a short time. My pack will take you to the compound and get you settled. It won't take me long. I just have to meet with a few people,"

Without waiting for our reply, he walked off into the woods.

I tensed as Oscar retreated, leaving us with the wolves. However, Carlisle squeezed my hand soothingly.

"This is our only chance to find out more about him," he murmured too low for human or shifter hearing.

We walked for a few more hours, going deeper into wilderness before we came upon a clearing. At first the structure nestled in a corner of the field looked like nothing more than the foundation of a house, but as we approached we saw that it was actually a building that had been built mostly underground. Only the very top of the building was visible, giving it the impression that it was an unfinished structure.

One wolf changed back into his human form and without breaking a stride walked around the side of the building, leaving us guarded by the other three. When he returned, he ushered us around the building without a word.

We followed him down a long set of stairs that took us deeper into the ground. At the end of the stairs, we came upon a set of reinforced steel doors. The man stepped forward and lifted a phone that was bolted to the concrete wall.

"It's us… No… only two of them… OK…Yes… Yeah, I got it," he said before hanging up. A second later, a buzzer sounded and the man grasped the handle of the door and pushed against it. It swung open with a screech of metal against metal. Once we were inside the heavy doors swung shut with a bang followed by a loud click of a lock falling back into place.

I felt a wave of unease again and squeezed Carlisle's hand, seeking reassurance. After a moment, he squeezed back, but I could sense his uncertainty as we started down the long corridor.

It was a heavily reinforced building. It looked inside almost as if it had been constructed to withstand a natural disaster—underground, made of concrete, and doors, ceilings and floors made of reinforced steel. It was clear that Oscar had chosen or built this building with a purpose. Supernatural creatures had the same amount of power as a natural disaster. We could pull down a building, but with all the reinforced material around us in this building it would take time. Time that could be used by Oscar and his pack to attack. I wondered whether Edward had ever tried to escape. How many times had he broken out only to be corralled by Oscar and his followers?

I growled at the thought, causing the shifters who were still in their wolf forms to bare their teeth and growl in return.

At the end of a corridor, we entered an elevator that took us even deeper underground. When the doors opened, I was immediately struck by how much it reminded me of a hospital. My sense of smell sifted through the multitude of scents- a mixture of medications, bleach, fresh paint, and underneath it all… blood?

While cataloguing the scents around me, I took in my surroundings. The building had the same shiny floors, florescent lights, and twin rows of doors flanking the hallway that most hospitals that I'd been in over the years had.

At the end of the hall, the man pushed a button next to one of the doors, causing it open with a whoosh.

The minute the door opened, I gasped. A scent assaulted me. It was as familiar to me as my own. It was my son's scent.

I dashed into the room, fearful that Edward had been caught. However, the room was empty. I sniffed again and realized that it was an old scent.

Even though the room had been painted and fresh lemon-scented sheets had been placed on the bed, his scent permeated everything.

It was clear that he had lived in their cell during his captivity.

I shuddered at the thought that this had been the room that Edward had been held in for three years.

It was devoid of any creature comforts, only a bed and a table. Everything was white, everything was sterile. And with no windows and a door that blended into the wall, it would have caused sensory deprivation.

"Carlisle…"I gasped.

"I know," he responded.

I inhaled deeper, using my nose instead of my eyes. I hoped that there was something else that could give me any information about Edward's captivity.

It was then that I smelled it—blood.

I dashed towards the source, yanking the bed away from the wall so hard that it crashed against the opposite wall.

There were stains of Edward's blood spattered on the base board where a nail had been dug out of the wood. My eyes followed the spatters as they trailed up the wall to where a hole the size of a quarter had been dug.

Carlisle joined me and the two of us crouched down to look through the hole; however, I was greeted by the same white walls and sterile surroundings. The hole looked into another cell the same as this one. I took a shuddering breath at the thought of the despair that Edward must have felt at the sight. No freedom, just more of the same.

I picked up the nail that he'd used to try to dig his way to freedom, wanting to keep it with me. It was then that I saw something that shook me to my core. Chiseled into the tile floor were words written in Edward's tight script.

**Edward Masen Cullen**

**R.I.P.**

* * *

**BELLA**

I steeled myself after leaving Edward before entering the kitchen with Billy and Charlie.

"Hey Dad," I said as I walked into the room.

His back was to me, so I couldn't understand his muttered a response.

I sighed because it was clear that he was going to be incredibly difficult.

Billy gave me an exasperated look as he wheeled by me, leaving me alone with my father.

Charlie packed up the remainder of his belongings before grabbing his coat.

"Dad, where are you going?" I asked, grabbing his arm before he could open the front door of the house.

"I'm going to work, Bells. I have to get the investigation going into Bob Quinlan's death. We knew each other for over 30 years, so I'm not going to stay here and listen to all of this hogwash while his killer is still out there… I have a job to do."

"Dad, do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"

He muttered something under his breath that I couldn't make out.

"Dad, come on. Talk to me."

When he turned towards me, his look was one of half-anger, half-frustration.

"Bella, I don't have time for all this. I've known Billy for half my life, but I don't understand why he would choose this moment for a practical joke."

"I don't know what Billy told you, but whatever he said, it's all true."

"You're all nuts if you believe it. Fairytale monsters are not real."

I took a deep breath, realizing that Billy hadn't pulled any punches with telling the truth to Charlie.

"Dad, can you please sit down? We need to talk. I need to tell you everything."

And I did.

He was silent during my telling of the story, but when I got to the part about James, he traced the scar on my wrist.

"Bella, you fell down the stairs and broke a window…" he murmured

"Dad, does this really look like a cut from a piece of glass?" I responded.

He rubbed his thumb over the bite mark again, but then shook his head.

When I met his eyes again, he didn't look convinced. However, he wasn't running for the door.

"So, what was all the commotion about yesterday? Why were we dragged here in the middle of the night? Billy was vague about that... I'm so sick of being the one out of the loop," he growled in frustration.

"This may seem like it is coming out of left field, but stay with me. Did you ever meet a guy named Oscar Chapman? You may have seen him around town a couple of years ago. He would have mostly stayed around the reservation, but I'm sure he would have made an appearance in Forks as well."

"A really intense guy with strange eyes? Yeah, I remember him. He showed up in town shortly after Rachel's funeral. I only talked to him once, but I got a bad vibe from him. Why?"

"You're instincts about him were right. Oscar is extremely dangerous…" I continued on to explain to him about what I knew about Oscar, but before I could finish he began to shake his head.

"Vampires, shifters, werewolves… Bella, this is crazy!" he snapped, slamming his hand down on the table.

"_You all have to leave! All of you! Now!"_

At Jasper's shout, we both bolted to our feet and ran towards the living room.

When I came around the corner, I saw Edward collapsed on his side, writhing on the couch. Alice was crouched in front of him holding her hands over his ears.

With a gasp, I ran towards them and took Alice's place.

"He's hearing other people's thoughts and can't block them," Jasper said, quietly. "I've sent everyone away, so he should calm down soon. We have to leave too because I think that our thoughts are hurting him the most."

Taking Alice's hand, he pulled her behind him out of the room, ushering Charlie out the door as well.

Edward recovered quickly with the silence that only I could give him.

Once he recovered, however, I was horrified that he wanted to try again.

When he had promised to protect me, I had no idea that this was what he was intending. I understood why he wanted his supernatural abilities back, but I didn't want him to change. I told him a long time ago that I didn't care that he was a vampire, but now that I had him in my life as a human I had a glimpse of what our future could be- a normal couple going to university, getting married, having children.

However, I couldn't deny that this reality was unlikely. There were too many forces against us. Therefore, I had no choice but to give him his freedom.

* * *

After Edward left with Jasper, I wandered aimlessly around Billy's house.

Charlie had decided to go for a walk with Jake. Before they left, Jake promised that he would do what he could to convince Charlie that we were telling the truth.

No one bothered me after that. I'm sure that they were all caught up in their own thoughts and worries.

Not knowing what else to do, I went into Jake's childhood bedroom to try and rest. My head ached from stress and lack of sleep from the last few days. I wasn't sure that sleeping would be a possibility with my mind racing as it was, but I had to try.

The minute I opened the door to his room, it was like I had walked into a microcosm of his life in high school. His walls were plastered with posters of his favorite bands and of motorcycles and cars. His bookshelf was full of comic books. His closet still had clothes in it that he hadn't moved to his new home. The room even smelled like him.

I had never been in Jacob's room before, not really. I had caught glimpses of it while I was visiting, but I had always been too uncomfortable to enter. It seemed too intimate. A person's bedroom was often a reflection of their inner self. Other rooms were places where any could enter, but a person's bedroom was private.

Just as I flopped myself down on his bed, I saw, tucked into the corner of the mirror, a strip of photos of the two of us. They were photos that we had taken over three years ago. Looking at the photos, I remembered the day clearly. It had been one of the few days during the dark time when Edward had left me, that I had felt normal and almost happy. Jacob had badgered me into shopping at the mall and then to a movie. We spent the afternoon looking at cds and browsing in a bookstore with Jake in the magazine section and me in the classics.

Before the movie, we found one of those little photo booths and squeezed in. I remembered that the only way that we would both fit was for me to sit on Jacob's knee. In one of the photos, we were making faces, me with my eyes crossed and Jake with his tongue stuck out. We both looked so different- so young. Jake's hair was long and there was brightness in his eyes that I hadn't seen in a long time.

In another photo, we were caught mid laugh. My eyes were closed as I laughed at something that Jake had said, but Jake's head was turned towards me. With the perspective of time, I could see it now. There was softness in his eyes when he looked at me that was more than the look of a friend. I had just been in such complete denial.

I sighed and returned to the bed. As I closed my eyes, I hoped that Jake and I would be able to one day think about these days of tragedy with relief that they were over.

* * *

"Oscar is one cocky son of a bitch. I can't believe that he had the balls to walk up to Bella in the middle of the day, like he didn't have a care in the world," Embry's voice right outside the bedroom window brought me completely awake.

"He has the upper hand, so why wouldn't he feel confident." Sam responded. "We don't know where he is. We don't know how many shifters he has in his gang. But all of that pales in comparison to the fact that in three days there will be a full moon and Oscar is going to turn into a werewolf along with any others that he may have turned, including Edward," he continued angrily.

"And here we are trapped on the reservation because if we leave we'll be putting everyone in jeopardy of catching the flu. I feel like we are in that movie _Dawn of the Dead_, trapped in a shopping mall and surrounded by zombies that want to eat our brains," Embry said, finishing Sam's train of thought in his own colorful way.

Their voices trailed off as they moved away from the house.

It was all true. We were extremely vulnerable because we were cut off from the outside world and had no knowledge about Oscar's plans.

Embry's description of our desperate situation took my mind off on a tangent. My mind wandered to the zombie movies that I'd seen. I wasn't a fan of horror films, finding them too bloody. However, _Night of the Living Dead_ and _Dawn of the Dead_ were classics. Like us, the main characters in both movies were surrounded by creatures whose only thought was to kill. The flu was like that. It mindlessly spread from person to person and took no prisoners.

People only survived in zombie movies if they stayed inside a building and blockaded it, but inevitably there was always someone who decided to make a run for it. Then, once the perimeter was breached there was no going back.

I shuddered at the thought of the entire reservation being infected by the flu. The whole tribe must be terrified that somehow the flu would infiltrate the safety of their town. I wondered whether anyone blamed Edward for all of this. He was human now, but until recently he had been one of their enemies who had now returned and brought illness and violence into their homes.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me and I sat up with a jolt. No one had ever figured out how Oscar had gotten on to the reservation. With the pack on high alert, it seemed impossible that a man could have simply walked on to the reservation without them noticing. Beyond the full moon, Oscar was just a man, no match for supernatural beings.

There was only one possibility.

He had help.

* * *

I went in search of my father. I knew that he would be the only person objective enough to listen to what I had to say. The Quiluetes would never be able to accept that someone in their community was helping Oscar, but it was the only possibility. It had to be someone who knew the area and wouldn't appear suspicious wandering close to the patrolled borders.

_Who could it be? Who would betray their own people?_

I knew that Charlie was with Jake, so I walked the short distance to his cabin.

As I got closer, I began to feel more uneasy. Something felt wrong. Worried that something had happened to Charlie, I started running towards the cabin.

But when Jake's house came into view, I was relieved to see that Charlie and Jake were sitting on the front steps of his cabin. Jake was leaning towards Charlie who sat hunched forward, his arms braced on his knees and his head in his hands.

Without a shirt and socks, I knew that Jake had changed to show Charlie what he really was.

I felt sorry for my father. He was a level headed, common sense kind of guy, so knowing about the supernatural was throwing his whole world view into chaos.

When I got close enough for them to hear me, they both looked up. Charlie stood up quickly and made as if to approach me. However, he suddenly stopped and turned his head towards Jake and said, "Thank you for showing me the truth." It was said so formally that I could tell that he was struggling to regain his center by putting on his mantle of Chief Swan.

Once he'd moved past Jake, his eyes settled back on me. At this point, his struggle to maintain his equilibrium was thrown off as the hurt surfaced.

"Dad, I need to talk to you alone," I said, looking over his shoulder at Jacob.

He looked into my eyes intently for a moment before nodding. We fell into step with each other as we moved away from Jacob.

Once we were out of ear shot I turned towards him.

"Dad, who do you think has the most reason to dislike the Cullens? You know that the Quiluetes have for a long time disliked the Cullens. However, who, out of all of them, do you think has the most reason to dislike them?"

"What do you mean, Bells?"

"Now that you know about the pack, how do you think it is possible that Oscar got on to the reservation without them noticing?"

Suddenly, Charlie came to an abrupt halt grabbing my arm and pulling me to a stop as well.

His breathing began to escalate, which caused me to jerk my head in the direction that he was looking.

"Bella! Look out!" he shouted.

A blur of brown streaked towards me and as it approached all I could see was teeth and fur.

I lunged towards Charlie and pushed him out of the way before I turned to run. I felt something grab the back of my shirt and try to yank me backwards, but I wrenched myself away with the sound of tearing fabric.

It was so close to me that I could feel its breath huffing on the back of my neck, so I knew that very soon it would have me. However, a shot rang out and a howl of pain roared in my ear. A weight crashed into the back of my legs, throwing me to the ground.

The force of its weight colliding with me knocked the breath out of me. I came to a standstill on my back.

As a loud commotion roared around me, all I could focus on was sky. In my dazed state, I marveled at the color. I had never seen anything so blue. A painting could never do it justice.

"Bella, are you OK? Kid, look at me! Are you hurt?"

I pulled my attention away from the sky and focused on my father's face as he crouched over me.

"I'm OK, Dad. Just help me up."

My head swam as Charlie helped me to my feet. I was finding it difficult to catch my breath.

"What happened?"

Behind Charlie, Jake and Embry were wrestling someone to the ground- a naked man.

"Dad, who's with Jake and Embry?" I asked, bewildered by the sight.

"I don't know. One minute, he was an animal attacking you, but when I shot him he turned into a person."

"Shape shifter…" I said.

The shock was starting to set in and my vision began to blur around the edges.

"Dad, I think that I need to sit down. I feel dizzy."

"OK, Kid."

Charlie practically had to carry me to a nearby rock because it was as if I'd lost all the strength in my legs.

I looked at my father's face and saw fear for the first time that I could remember.

As he crouched beside of me, he ran his hand over his face leaving a dark smudge along his cheekbone.

I sat up in alarm.

"Dad, you're bleeding!" I exclaimed.

I tried to stand up, but my legs couldn't hold me and I collapsed to my knees in front of him. My vision swam again and I felt sick to my stomach.

His eyes widened in horror as he looked down at his bloodied hands.

Looking up at me, he stumbled to my side.

Without a word, he scooped me up in his arms and swung us both around to the others.

"Help me! She's bleeding!"

I tried to protest.

"I'm OK, Dad. Put me down," I said. I didn't feel any pain, only light headed.

However, Charlie ignored me as the rest sped towards us.

"Where is she hurt?" Jake asked.

"I'm fine, Jake." I said, feeling annoyed that they were all ignoring me. All I wanted was to rest for a few minutes.

"I think it's her side where her shirt is torn."

"Lay her down here," Embry said, motioning to where he had spread his shirt on the ground.

Charlie gently laid me down.

"Maybe, it's not her blood," Charlie reasoned.

"I can smell it. It's her blood," Alice stated.

I looked towards her voice and saw that she was standing quite a distance away at the tree line. I felt guilty because I knew that the smell of my blood was affecting her.

Jake gently pulled the material of my shirt away from my body revealing my ribcage.

"Oh God," Charlie exclaimed. "We need to get her to a hospital."

I tried to sit up, but Embry pushed my shoulders back down.

"No, let me see," I argued.

"Bella, don't move. You're cut really badly," Jake said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"I can't just stitch this up. The cut is too ragged. We need to get her to a doctor," Sam said, crouching down next to me.

"We can't! She might get exposed to the flu!" Embry argued.

"We don't have much choice," Sam responded. "She could die from blood loss."

"I'm fine. I don't hurt at all," I reasoned.

No one listened to me.

"There is a medical clinic just outside of the reservation. I think that she'd be safer there than at the hospital."

"No… no…" I argued, but I was finding it harder to speak as my lips felt numb.

"I'll take her," Jake said, picking me up in his arms.

"No, I'm her fa-" Charlie began, but Jake interrupted him.

"Charlie, you know now that we aren't human. I stand a better chance of fighting off the illness than you do. My immune system is a lot stronger. Let me do this."

With a pained expression, Charlie let go of my arm and stepped back.

Turning away from them, Jake gripped me more securely in his arms and hurried towards his truck.

"Bella?"

I had never heard a more sweet sound than Edward's voice.

"Ed-" I couldn't force his name past my numb lips.

"Where are you taking her?" he demanded.

I looked towards him and I could see him running full out towards us.

As he neared, he glared pure hatred at Jacob.

"Give her to me!" he snarled.

Suddenly, there was a roar from behind him.

"EDWARD! NO!"

Edward was suddenly yanked off his feet by Jasper, who then pinned him to the ground as Edward growled and thrashed.

"What the hell?" Jake gasped, clutching me tighter to his chest.

"Get her out of here!" Alice shouted, turning back towards Edward.


	26. Culmination

**JASPER**

I was not the intelligent one in the family. I was the fighter. This was the role that I'd always filled and I was still content to fill that position if my family needed it. It had been for that very reason that Maria had turned me. Fighting for feeding territory had not been an easy endeavor. Maria had wanted me to mould newborns into weapons and while I had hadn't always liked doing it, I had been good at it.

I used these skills tin the forest to help teach Edward to control his growing powers. However, I felt the same mixed emotions that I'd always felt when Maria turned another human into one of us. I was sad that Edward's vampire abilities were returning because I knew that he wanted nothing more than to stay human for Bella. But I also knew that we would need Edward's mind reading if we were to findCarlisleand Esme and kill Oscar. And killing Oscar was quickly becoming all I could think about. He deserved to die for all the suffering that he'd caused my family.

So, I pushed my conflicted feelings aside and began the task of pulling out Edward's buried powers. I just hoped that it would be Edward's vampire side that would come out and not whatever Oscar had injected into him.

As I began to take him through the training process, I quickly realized that Edward's supernatural side was closer to the surface than any of us had originally thought. He was able to keep up with some of the training that I had only ever used on newborns but at the same time was able to learn how to block the thoughts of others.

However, just before sunset, Edward reached his limit. So while he rested, I began to gather our supplies.

I sensed the mutts before I heard or even smelled them. Their hatred was palpable, so I knew that they were preparing for a fight.

I dropped what I was carrying and focused on the approaching attack. There were five distinct scents. As I catalogued them one stood out because it was familiar- Paul.

Fury filled me.

This left no doubt. It was Oscar's pack.

When they reached the tree line, one stepped into the clearing while the rest stayed on the perimeter. I sneered at the thought. How little they knew about us was funny. I would have thought that Paul would have used his knowledge about my family to his new pack's advantage, but he was just as much of an idiot as I had always thought.

"Edward, don't move," I said, in a low voice. However, this caused the lone wolf to focus its attention on Edward.

Changing tactics, I said, "Edward, back away slowly."

Knowing that this would distract the mutt, I waited for it to make a move towards Edward. A moment before its attack, I launched myself at it.

We rolled to the ground, raking at each other with teeth and nails. I fought to subdue the creature quickly, knowing that there were others waiting. But when it bit down on my shoulder and tried to tear my flesh, the pain triggered a surge of energy. It gave me a focus for the anger that had been building inside of me from the moment that I saw Edward huddled in the corner of the hospital room inVancouver.

I now had an outlet. I could kill.

One after another, I attacked the mutts, letting the thrill of the kill consume me. Over and over again they attacked and I defeated them. I had restrained this side of me for so long that it was exhilarating. I loved my family, but a part of me had missed the fight for survival— kill or be killed.

As one of the last mutts dropped dead at my feet, its blood dripped from my hair down my face to where it coated my lips. I couldn't resist licking it off and while it had the wild taste of mutt, the tang of human was still there, causing me to shudder with pleasure.

I wanted to drink. I wanted the blood that pumped through the veins of living creatures- the delicious coppery taste of life.

"Hey! Over here!"

For a moment, it felt as if Edward's blood was calling to me, beckoning me to drink.

I wrenched myself out of these thoughts and refocused on the threat in front of me.

"Edward, get out of here!" I shouted.

I threw myself even more into the fight in front of me, trying to concentrate on killing my enemies and not on the blood. However, the sound of thudding hearts all around me was hypnotizing. I could hear the whoosh of blood rushing through arteries and it felt like my body was throbbing with it.

As one heart stuttered to a stop, another grew louder. Its rhythm was even sweeter than the mutt's. I turned towards it, needing to drink. I could see it pumping through the jugular of its neck only a few feet away.

I took a step towards it.

"Jasper… no…"

I growled in annoyance of the distraction. I needed the blood.

"Remember. It's me, Edward."

_Edward_…

The word sounded familiar which gave me pause, so I tried to focus on its face and not on the blood pulsing through its veins.

_Edward_…

_My brother…_

I fought for control of my instincts and finally won the battle. With the haze of blood lifted, I was myself again. And with it the reality of our situation hit me. If we were attacked, there was a good chance that Alice and the rest of our family were in danger as well.

"Edward, we have to get back to the reservation. The others are in danger."

We ran into the forest, both of us intent on getting back to our loved ones. However, we were too slow. Edward couldn't keep up with me.

"Edward, we have to be faster. I'm going to carry you," I stated.

Without waiting for his response, I pulled his arm over my shoulder, wrapped my arm around his side, and carried his weight as I ran full speed back to the reservation.

As I ran, my anger was increasing exponentially. Again my loved ones were in danger and I was not at their sides. With this fury, my hunger returned. However, it wasn't for Edward this time. I hungered for the blood of my enemies.

I realized at one point that Edward and I were amplifying each others emotions. With the close contact, Edward's anger was pouring into me and I was feeding it back to him tenfold. I wasn't even sure whose need to kill was the strongest.

I should have felt a twinge of worry about this, but I didn't care. I needed to destroy my enemies. I was the fighter. I was the protector.

As we approached the reservation, I smelled the mutts.

"They're here…" I snarled and Edward growled in response.

When we burst through the trees, I took in everything at once.

My eyes foundAlicefirst. She was standing on the far side of the clearing, unharmed. Leah and Seth were guarding a naked bleeding mutt. Charlie and the rest of the pack were standing in a circle around Jacob who had a bleeding Bella in his arms.

I turned back toAlice, needing to get to her. As I started to move, however, I heard a snarl from my right.

I whipped around, ready for an attack but I saw that it was Edward.

His chest was heaving and his eyes were filled with fury, but it was not directed towards the enemy shifter but to the group huddled around Bella.

"Bella?" Edward shouted and began to run towards them.

Bella looked up from where she had her head rested on Jacob's shoulder.

"Ed-" she mumbled, unable to complete the word.

From the scent of her blood which permeated the air, she was suffering from blood loss.

"Where are you taking her?" Edward demanded, approaching the group.

His fury and hunger were like a wall slamming me in the face.

"Give her to me!" he snarled.

"EDWARD! NO!"

I ran towards him and threw him to the ground. As I pinned him to the ground, he continued to thrash and snarl, trying to get away from me.

Aliceappeared at my side and placed a hand on Edward's chest.

"Get Bella, out of here!" she shouted over her shoulder before looking back down at Edward.

"Edward, take a deep breath. Bella will be ok," she murmured soothingly.

"Where is he taking her?" he demanded, his eyes darting around but not focusing on anything. "He can't have her," he screamed, arching off he ground. "She's mine!"

I looked atAlicewith barely contained anger. I knew that this had been inevitable, but I still had hoped that it wouldn't come to this. Oscar was to blame for all this tragedy.

I tried to calm Edward, but his agitation was so strong that even my ability seemed to only make a slight change in his emotions. Thankfully, his strength was not as strong as a vampire, so we had no trouble keeping him restrained.

"Jasper, you're hungry. You need to get away from him,"Alicesaid, softly.

"I'm fine," I growled, not taking my eyes off Edward.

"Jasper, look at me," she said, firmly.

I looked at her in surprise.

"Your hunger is affecting him. We won't know how much of his behavior is you until you get away from him," she explained.

I realized suddenly that she was right. I wasn't in control of my abilities and my own hunger and anger were mixing with Edward's.

"Will you be ok?" I asked, torn by the thought of leaving her with Edward.

"I'm fine," she said softly, before looking back down at Edward's face.

With her left hand on his chest, she used the other to try to soothe him by rubbing his shoulder.

I felt a surge of anger again at how much pain I knew that she was in.

"Jasper. Go. Now," she ordered.

I jumped to my feet and turned to Sam who was standing a few feet away.

"I need to feed. I'll guard the perimeter," I stated.

Sam barely looked at me as he nodded because he was so focused on the horror in front of him.

Anger surged inside of me again, so I ran.

* * *

**BELLA**

"Jake, put me down. Edward needs me," I gasped between breaths.

"You've lost a lot of blood, Bella. I need to get you to a doctor," he said firmly.

Everything became hazy as I felt myself losing consciousness.

"_They have a name for someone who smells the way Bella does to me. They call her 'la tua cantante' my singer because her blood sings for me."_

Edward's words flitted through my mind, just as if he were next to me.

"No… no…" I said, struggling to hold on to reality.

"_I think I understand why I allowed us to be together when it went against every rational thought. My hunger for you is stronger than my will. I wish that you could feel the complexity… the confusion… I feel… on the one hand, the hunger- the thirst—that, deplorable creature that I am, that I feel for you…But… there are other hungers. Hungers that I don't even understand, that are foreign to me…"_

...

"_Good God, Bella... Tell me to stop... God, I want you so much... Bella, please, I could hurt you..." _

_…_

"_You don't make a whole lot of sense, Bell. You're afraid of blood but you like a show about a crime solving serial killer. You're a nut…" _

"Aidin?" I struggled to open my eyes, but failed.

"We're almost there, Bells. Stay with me. Everything will be alright._"_

"_Don't you dare say that everything is going to be okay! Nothing is okay! You knew...all this time… you knew! How could you not tell me? How could you... let me believe that I am...? How could you let me believe that I am a... man?"_

"Edward, I'm sorry,_"_ I mumbled, trying to reach for him.

"Bella, stay with me! Open your eyes!_" _

With a groan, I opened my eyes. I was in Jake's truck. He had his arm around me, holding me up as he drove one handed along the dirt road.

"You're strong, Bella. The strongest person I've ever met. Just stay with me and everything will be ok. Please, Bella. Stay with me."

I tried to say something, but the words wouldn't come. My eyes felt heavy and against my will they slid shut.

"_Why do you think that you can't hear me?"_

_"I don't know. The only guess I have is that maybe your mind doesn't work the same way the rest of theirs do. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I'm only getting FM."_

_"My mind doesn't work right? I'm a freak?"_

"We're at the medical clinic, Bella. Hold on."

A pair of strong arms lifted me up and I felt a wave of dizziness at the motion.

"We need help! Is anyone here? She's seriously hurt! Please help us!"

"Put her on the gurney. Is she on any medication? Does she have any allergies?"

"Not that I know of."

"Does anyone have the flu here?"

"_Edward's human DNA is still in control, but you have to realize that you are in a really vulnerable position. Edward could change at any moment if his human DNA weakens. You could have also easily become infected with the flu today when you followed him. However, if you haven't begun to feel the effects of it yet, you've probably not been infected. However, that doesn't mean that you are immune. You need to be careful."_

"So far, none of us have been affected, but it is spreading rapidly."

"_And here we are trapped on the reservation because if we leave we'll be putting everyone in jeopardy of catching the flu. I feel like we are in that movie Dawn of the Dead, trapped in a shopping mall and surrounded by zombies that want to eat our brains."_

"It's not just torn skin. There's also damage to the muscle. We have to operate. Are you a relative?"

"I'm a friend. Her father couldn't be here."

_"Dad…"_

"_Bells, I'll be there soon. Everything will be okay. Just find a safe place off the main road and wait for me. I'll be there soon."_

"What attacked her?"

"A wolf."

"_We had an agreement, Edward… You broke it… I don't know how you got away, but I warned you. And now I'm here… Yes… here I am… in the middle of your territory, your family, your… herd."_

…

"_Ah... ah... ah… Not so fast… Remember your visitor last night? I have many of them… Some are like me and others are of your kind. They're just waiting to take vengeance on you depraved creatures for all that they've lost." _

I started to cry. So much tragedy. So much grief. So much anger. The people in my life and the people they loved had suffered so much—the Blacks, the Clearwaters, really all the Quileutes. Not only had many of their loved ones been killed, but also many of the younger generation had become werewolves to compensate for vampires moving into their vicinity. So many people who could have vendettas against the Cullens.

I fought to regain consciousness, needing to tell Jake what I'd figured out.

"He had help… Jake, he had help... One of you. Someone... with nothing to lose..."

"Bella, it'll be ok. I'll be here when you wake up."

_"Wake up love."_

"_No, it's too early. Five more minutes," I groaned, burying my face back into the pillow._

"_Bella, open your eyes."_

_I loved the soft chuckle that Edward got in his voice some times._

_"Five more minutes…" I mumbled again._

_"Don't you want to have pancakes with your husband before he goes to work?"_

_I turned over with a yawn, not quite ready to open my eyes._

_"Pancakes with maple syrup and bacon... It's sitting in the oven just waiting to be eaten." He said this in his sexy voice, which caused me to laugh and open my eyes._

_"Ah, there's my love…" he murmured with a smile before kissing my lips._

...

"_Bella, I need to get to the hospital. I guess there is an especially virulent flu that has broken out in the city. They're calling in all the local doctors so that we can contain it before it gets worse."_

_I paused in the middle getting dressed because I had an extreme case of déjà vu at his words._

_"Did you mention this to me before?" I said and I was shocked to hear a quiver in my voice. I hadn't realized that it had upset me until I opened my mouth._

_I finished buttoning up my shirt and sat down heavily on the bed._

_"No, it's the first I heard of it," he said, moving towards me. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked, cupping my face and looking into my eyes._

"_I don't know. When you mentioned the flu, I got a really bad feeling. You'll be careful, right?"_

_"Of course, sweetheart," he murmured, kissing me gently on the lips. _

_I smiled tremulously at him, trying not to worry him._

_Tracing my cheek with his thumb, he looked at me intently._

_"You look tired. Why don't you take a nap before you go to work?" _

_"I might," I responded with a deep breath._

_"Okay, I'll call you in a few hours to check in," he said, kissing me before opening our bedroom door._

_"I love you, you know," he said with his beautiful crooked smile._

_"I love you too," I said, with as bright a smile as I could manage. _

_..._

"_Bella, wake up."_

_A hand was shaking my shoulder, but I wasn't ready to wake up yet._

_"Five more minutes…"I groaned._

_"Wake up. You've got to wake up!"_

_Edward._

_Edward's voice._

_I swam out of sleep._

_When I opened my eyes, I was shocked to see how deathly pale he was. The car keys were still in one hand and he was still using the other to shake me, although my eyes were open._

_"What's going on? Are you okay?" I asked, alarmed._

_"I'm fine, but Bella I need you to pack a few things and go to your father's."_

_I looked over at the clock and saw that it was three in the morning. Edward wasn't even supposed to be here because he was on the night shift._

_"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up quickly._

_"The flu is much worse than we had expected. It is killing everyone infected and so far we haven't found a treatment. I need to get back to the hospital, but I had to get you out of town first," he explained as he grabbed my suitcase and started to stuff my clothing into it._

_"Edward, you have to come too," I pleaded._

_"I can't Bella, but you have to go. I need you to be safe," he begged._

_He stopped his frantic packing to come over to me. Gripping my shoulders, he looked into my eyes and I saw a desperate gleam in them that I had never seen before._

_Letting go abruptly, he dashed into the kitchen. Plates rattled and doors slammed as he rummaged through the kitchen._

_"Where's the emergency fund?" he shouted._

_"It's in the crock pot on the top shelf," I responded, my voice hoarse._

_The reality that something really terrible was happening hit me at that moment. This money was our supply of cash that we had been collecting in case something really bad happened._

_He dashed back into the room and pushed the wad of cash into my hand._

_"Edward, you have to come with me," I said again._

_He was about to respond, but suddenly jumped away from me before sneezing explosively._

_Looking up at me, I gasped at the look of horror in his eyes._

_"Oh God, Bella! I have it! Get away from me. Go!" he begged, backing towards the door._

_"Edward," I pleaded, sobbing uncontrollably._

_"Bella, go!" he shouted, stumbling down the stairs as he coughed uncontrollably._

_I stood in the middle of our bedroom in a state of shock._

...

_I coughed uncontrollably, not able to catch my breath._

_"Bells, take it easy. Breathe in through your nose."_

_My father stood next to my hospital bed dressed in a hazmat suit. When I saw him for the first time, he looked like an alien standing next to my bed. He was wearing a suit that covered him from head to toe with a full-face piece. It even had a two-way radio for a mouth piece._

_He was trying to sound soothing but the fear in his eyes paired with the hazmat suit told me that things were anything but okay._

_"How are you feeling?" he asked when I stopped coughing._

_"Same… you?" My voice was so hoarse that I didn't sound anything like myself._

_"I'll be ok, Bells. You don't have to worry about me," he said with a forced confidence. However, even through the tinny speaker I could hear the nasal quality of his voice. Charlie was sick._

_"Dad, you're not-" I started, but then I started coughing again._

_"Bells, don't worry about me. You need to focus on getting better. The doctors are saying that you're body seems to be putting up a good fight against the virus."_

_"Ed-" I couldn't get the word out. I tried again, desperate to hear that he was ok._

_"He got sick around the same time that you did. I haven't heard anything since," Charlie murmured._

_I saw him start to reach out to touch my shoulder, but he caught himself and reluctantly pulled his hand away._

_"Dad…" I wheezed._

_"Take it easy, Bells." _

_Even through the mask, I saw that his eyes glistened as he spoke. Seeing that he was on the verge of tears, I started to tear up as well. However, another fit of coughing took a hold of me. And this time I couldn't stop._

_"Help! She's choking! Doctor! Anyone! Please! Help!"_

_These were the last words I heard before the darkness took me._

…

_As strange as it sounded, it was the silence that woke me._

_I couldn't hear anything and for a moment it felt like I had gone deaf. However, when I sat up, I realized that the lights were out, the machines next to my hospital bed were not blinking or whirring. The hum of electricity was gone._

_As I pulled my legs out of the blankets draped over me and set my feet on the floor I was amazed to feel healthy. Hadn't I been deathly ill? Had I imagined it?_

_I stood up on unsteady feet and changed out of my hospital gown and into my own clothes which made me feel more like myself._

_However, when I turned towards the door, I gasped at the sight before me._

_Next to the door spray painted in huge red letters were the words_

**FREAK! WHY ARE WE DYING AND NOT YOU?**

_My body started to tremble all over._

_Suddenly, the need to get out of there was the only thing that I could think about. I almost bolted blindly through the door and into whatever lay beyond. I needed to breathe fresh air and then get far, far away from this terrible place._

_However, the desperateness of the words on the wall made me hesitate._

_I opened the door slowly and tentatively stepped out._

_The corridor was dark without the fluorescents of even a back-up generator, so it took a while for my eyes to adjust. Once they did, I scanned the hallway. At first it looked like someone had left a pile of clothes in the middle of the floor, but as I inched closer I saw that it was a body. I froze. I felt a scream building in my chest, but I was so terrified that I couldn't even give voice to it. Instead it burned inside of my chest making it hard to breathe. I felt myself getting faint, but then the fear of lying comatose next to a body caused me to pinch my arm as hard as I could._

_It was a man in a long beige trench coat, sprawled face down on the floor with one hand outstretched as if he had been reaching for something when he died._

_I started to slide along the wall, trying to stay as far away from it as possible. However, my eyes remained fixed on it. If the man moved, I knew that I would completely lose it. But I didn't think the person was going to getup. __Not now, not ever._

_As I got past it, I moved more quickly. I needed to put as much distance between me and it as fast as I could._

_I heard a sound like skittering behind me and this time I really did scream as I whirled around. However, there was nothing there except the body. _

_My scream seemed to reverberate back and forth in the empty halls, a nightmarish echo._

_The sound broke me and I started running, panting with fear. I was running so fast down the corridor that when I reached the end and had to turn right, my sneakers slipped and I landed on the floor._

_Hitting the floor jolted me out of my hysteria._

_As I started to pull myself to my feet, I sensed that I was not alone._

_There was just a small noise behind me, but it was enough to cause me to scramble to my feet. I spun around, not knowing what to expect._

_A man stood in the middle of the hall. He was hunched forward, so I couldn't see his face, but his body was tilted at an unnatural angle with his hands swinging loosely at his sides. I was about to ask him if he was ok, when suddenly he started shambling towards me, his movements spastic._

_Unconsciously a word escaped my lips, "… please..."_

_At the sound of my voice, the man stopped moving and slowly, so slowly, looked up at me._

_His eyes were absolutely vacant, but a long string of snot hung from his nose. _

_He had it- the killer flu._

_I turned and ran._

_I ran aimlessly down so many corridors and turned so many corners that I had absolutely no idea where I was going. Then, a thought brought me up short. What if with all the running, I had actually come full circle. The man could be around the next corner. I had seen more dead bodies as I ran and I knew that it was highly likely that I was the only one really alive in this building. However, as I said this I heard faint groaning. Someone began coughing, a harsh sound that continued unabated. I edged closer to the lab at the end of the hall, needing to know whether someone was alive. The door to the lab was missing so I could see into the carrels where people worked. In one, a young man dressed in a white trench coat lay sprawled over his desk. He was comatose, but blood was dripping from his nose and mouth where it pooled on the table. His breath rattled in and out of his lungs with a lengthening pause between each. I started to back away, but at the sound of my shoes shuffling on the tile floor, the man's eyes opened. They stared at me, barely focusing on my face._

_"Why… are… you alive?" he panted. "What is… different…" He took a gurgling breath and blood frothed at the corner of his mouth. "… about you?"_

_He took one last gurgling breath and then went still._

_I began to sob as I turned and ran._

"Bella, open your eyes. You need to wake up." It wasn't Charlie or Edward's voice, so I clenched my eyes shut, not wanting to be told that they were gone.

"Why hasn't she woken up yet?" The person's voice was full of emotion, like they were on the verge of tears. I tried to listen more closely because something about the voice was familiar.

"She's recovering. You need to give her time," a woman's voice responded.

"So, how's our patient?" another voice asked.

"Doctor, she hasn't woken up yet," the familiar voice responded.

"That's to be expected. She underwent a pretty serious surgery. Are you her partner?"

"No, I'm her best friend. Her partner… He couldn't be here." It was from these words that I realized that the familiar voice was Jake's.

"Is there any way that he can be reached? This is really something that I should discuss with him or her father," the doctor stated.

"No, I'm sorry. They can't be reached. There's just me."

"Okay. Could I talk to you in private?" the doctor asked.

"Bells, I'll be right back. Take it easy," Jake whispered in my ear.

I listened to his footfalls as he left the room, but I could still hear some of their muffled conversation.

"… on any drugs?"

"No, Bella doesn't use…"

"… something different about her blood… not seen anything like it…"

I drifted off into unconsciousness before I could hear anymore.


	27. Manifesto

A/N: Hi everyone. Here is the next chapter. It is short. I know. But it is an important part of the story and I had to get it right. I hope you enjoy it!

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**ESME**

The bleakness of the small cell was starting to get to me. It felt as if I could feel Edward in this room, like his pain had left an imprint. We had been left in this room for a long time and I was starting to wonder whether Oscar was ever going to come.

"Carlisle, I think we made a mistake," I said.

Carlisle came over to me and wrapped me in his arms.

"We can't leave yet," he murmured against my hair. "Oscar's making us wait in order to keep us off balance. He's using the same technique that police officers use- leave the suspect on his or her own and hope that the stress will get to them. I'm sure that he's watching us right now, looking for how we react under the stress," he responded.

I knew that he was right, but I just couldn't concentrate in this room.

"He'll come…" Carlisle continued, giving me a last squeeze before letting go.

During our stay in this cell, he had never stopped investigating the room. Because there was nothing in the room beyond a few furnishings and a gruesome reminder of Edward's entrapment, Carlisle was now using his other senses. His eyes were shut and I could see his nostrils flaring as he inhaled deeply, trying to find anything that our eyes had missed. I closed my eyes as well, but I couldn't smell anything beyond Edward's blood and the bleach and other cleaning supplies that had been used to cover up the smell. Everything in the room had been sanitized except for the splatters of blood that surrounded the hole that Edward had dug in the wall. It was clearly left there on purpose.

It was at this moment when I heard footsteps coming down the hall. There were three people approaching which I presumed was Oscar with two guards. The footsteps stopped right outside the door, but when the door opened only Oscar stepped through. The two guards, who from their scent were shifters, stayed outside to stand watch.

He stepped into the room confidently not showing an ounce of hesitation or fear when the door sealed us all in together. Even though he was in his fragile human form, he had no reason to fear us. We were in his compound, waiting for him to make his intentions clear. We could have torn down the building with our bare hands, but the hope that we might get important information from Oscar was stronger than any cell could ever be.

"Sorry to keep you both waiting. I wanted us to spend time together uninterrupted so I had to take care of a few things first."

As these words left his mouth, his lips curled up in a smile that never reached his eyes.

"I hope that my people made you feel comfortable. I asked them to put you in this room because I thought that you would want to see where your son stayed as my guest. We tried to make him as comfortable as possible, but strangely he refused all my offers of creature comforts like entertainment or other furnishings. I have no idea what he did in here between our daily 'appointments.' I would have gone crazy," he finished with a sneer.

"Why have you brought us here?" Carlisle asked, ignoring Oscar's attempt to taunt us.

"As I said earlier, I want to have a meeting of the minds with you. As a vampire, I'm sure that you have a century's worth of medical knowledge in your head. I, on the other hand, have spent the last ten years doing medical "research" and you would be surprised by some of the discoveries that I have made. I would like us to share our knowledge."

He dropped himself onto Edward's bed with a bounce, but sat forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared intently at us.

"I have no interest in the information that you discovered while torturing other living beings," Carlisle snarled, momentarily losing his composure.

"Oh, come now, Carlisle. The human race has made great strides in the field of technology and science in the last century. These advances have been made based on research. Are you trying to tell me that a few sentient creatures weren't harmed in this process? I am just one of the many scientists who has chosen to focus on the greater good and is not afraid to admit that sacrifice is necessary." At these words, he shifted closer to the edge of the bed with what seemed like a feverish gleam in his eyes.

He reminded me of a young intern that had attached himself to Carlisle about 10 years ago. He had been one of the most gifted up and coming doctors that Carlisle had ever met. However, Carlisle said that he had lacked a very necessary quality in a doctor and without it he was quite dangerous. A doctor without empathy could cause more harm than good when they saw illness as a puzzle that needs to be solved and not a human being that needs to be cured.

"Even with advances in technology and science, people still suffer from disease, people still die or are permanently damaged from accidents." As these last few words left his lips, I saw a glint of something in his eyes, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Through the study of creatures such as ourselves, we may be able to find a way to enhance the human race so that people are no longer vulnerable to diseases or injuries. The mutated DNA of werewolves could be combined with that of vampires to bolster the human immune system. A brave new world for humanity." His eyes were now almost crazed looking as he got caught up in his vision for the future.

Carlisle stepped closer to Oscar, trying to snap him out of his trance.

"You wouldn't be improving humanity, Oscar. You would be getting rid of humanity and replacing it with an unknown. Just look at what has occurred because of your experimentation on Edward. The Spanish influenza is now spreading rampant through the world killing thousands. Don't you see that it is all too risky? Combining vampire and werewolf DNA might create a whole other kind of being that might be even more destructive than any supernatural creature that currently exists," Carlisle tried to reason.

"Right… right… I thought of that…" Oscar responded, jumping up so that he could pace the room.

"You see. That's why I chose my own altered genes. I'm not a monster all the time. I'm still predominantly human, so the cocktail of viruses wouldn't be as strong. I made an earlier attempt with vampire and shifter DNA and the results _were_ a bit of a horror show," he said and then let out a barking sort of laugh.

"We do not have the right to experiment on the lives of others for any reason. I'm sure that you didn't give the poor soul that you crammed full of your 'cocktail' a choice as to whether they wanted to be a part of your study," I snarled, having had enough of Oscar's manifesto.

At my words, his eyes flared with barely contained fury.

"With those very words, you prove to me that you are soulless creatures," he hissed. "Vampires feed on human blood. Your kind sacrifices humans for your own monstrous cravings every day. Do you ask their permission before you drain them dry?"

Instead of waiting for my reply, he turned away to pace some more.

"Again, a hundred deaths of supernatural creatures like you would be worth it if it could save just one person's loved one…" His voice cracked and he stopped pacing mid stride.

I remembered at that moment Oscar's history that we had gleamed from newspaper articles. He and his wife had been attacked by werewolves and during Oscar's first change he had nearly killed his wife, leaving her in a coma. It all made sense. He wasn't trying to help humanity. This was all about his wife.

As if hearing my thoughts, Oscar turned to look at me.

"She could never sleep without me and that night I'm sure that she sensed that I was gone. I'm sure that once she heard me screaming she scrambled from our bed and hurried down the stairs to help. When she came down the stairs and saw me in my new form, she turned to run. That was a mistake. I've come to discover that a werewolf cannot resist the chase. She was surprisingly easy to catch. She was no match for me… Thankfully, as I looked down at her broken body, I retained enough of myself to know not to bite her… I guess I can be thankful about that… But now she is lying in a bed in a nursing home- alive, but not alive. Waiting… waiting for me to do something."

I felt a little bit of my hatred towards him ebb at the sound of heartbreak in his voice.

He then looked back up at us and I was startled by the look of pure hatred that filled his eyes.

"In the beginning, I made it my mission to destroy as many supernatural creatures as I could during my change. But it wasn't enough to just kill you. I wanted you to suffer like my wife was suffering. So, I figured out a way to trap you in my human form that way I could make the killing last. One day, I caught a shifter. He tried to reason with me as I slowly went about killing him. He told me that there were creatures worse than him, creatures that came back from the dead and drank human blood. The idea of creatures coming back from the dead enraged me, but then it gave me an idea."

He tilted his head to the side as he turned his attention to Carlisle.

"I got a job at the Vancouver General hospital. It was during my practice there that I found a rich man who was in with appendicitis. I bit him and then promised that I would cure him if he supplied me with everything that I needed in order to find a cure. He set me up with a nice little clinic on the outskirts of Vancouver. I was even able to rig up a little cage in the basement for all my 'lab rats.' Then, I started to recruit others. Even though I hated everything about the supernatural world, I had a mission. I knew that I wouldn't have been able to keep creatures such as your family on my own. I tried, but I admit that you are all stronger than me in my human form. So, I started to search out other monsters such as myself. They weren't hard to find. A lot of them had lost loved ones because of your kind, so they were only too happy to have an outlet for their rage.

"Over the years, I caught many of you, but I was never able to isolate the virus in your venom that allows you to regenerate. Then, one of the creatures that I caught gave me another possibility. She told me that there were vampires that had special abilities. A family of these special undead things lived nearby. Before I could kill her, the red haired bitch escaped. But I had a new prey. I stalked you, looking for an opportunity to grab one of you, but you never separated from each other. However, I soon found the weakest link- Edward. I was shocked to find that he had attached himself to a fragile human girl. And then I had my opportunity. The red-haired bitch, who seems to hate you as much as I do, decided to mount an assault against your family. So, I waited, hoping that the chaos of the battle would give me access to Edward. Miraculously, Edward left his woman alone with a shifter, allowing me an opportunity to approach him. I gave him my proposition-his surrender for his woman's life. He made the right choice. Now, the question is, will you?" he finished with a smirk.

"Here is my proposition for you. You get Edward back to me, so that I can finish what I started and I'll tell you which humans in Forks and on the reservation that I've bitten. Without this knowledge, the newborn werewolves will eradicate the reservation and a lot of Forks in one night. And believe me I have no qualms about killing everyone in order to get what I want. Take your pick," he finished his eyes deadening at his final threat.

The emptiness in his eyes was more disturbing than the hatred.

"You're lying. If any of the Quiluettes had been bitten, they would have told Sam or another member of the pack. They wouldn't put their tribe in danger," I retorted, not believing that anyone on the reservation would betray the ones keeping them safe.

"Blackmail is a powerful thing. All you need is to threaten someone's loved one and follow through on part of that threat as proof and you can make a person do almost anything. Edward is a perfect example of that.

"The full moon is in two days. I'm sure that Edward is already feeling the precursors to the change. You'll stay here with me until you make your decision," he finished.

And with that, he stood up and left the room.


	28. The Monster Inside

**JASPER**

"Jasper, I'm thirsty… really thirsty. You need to put me down before I hurt someone. It's time... I _need _you to do this for me. I can't be here when Bella gets back," he begged.

"I won't let you hurt anyone. You just need to let it take you. Fighting the Change will only make it worse," I reasoned, even though I had already said this many times.

"It's not the same. It doesn't feel the same…" Edward muttered, pacing back and forth at the length of which the chains would allow him. I had told him that I was strong enough to restrain him, but he had insisted on the chains.

"You remember your Change?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes, things are coming back to me. I think my past self and present-" he was cut off by another flare of pain which caused him to double over with a gasp.

"I remember being turned. I remember my first kill, I remember my life before Bella, and I remember my life when Bella walked into it," he continued after the pain dissipated.

But suddenly Edward fell to his knees, letting out scream.

"Jasper, I feel like my bones are on fire, like hot pokers. They feel like they`re shifting inside of me... It's time... Put me out of my misery before Bella gets here," he begged again.

I sent out another calming wave, which seemed to help. Edward slumped to floor on his side and moaned, but thankfully he had stopped writhing.

As long as I kept a steady wave of calm around him, I thought that it might possible to manage the worst of his Change. But, he was right. His symptoms weren't the same as the ones that I had experienced. I had felt like I was on fire too, but it wasn't isolated to specific parts of the body like it was with Edward.

I listened to his heart for the tell tale signs that he was going through the Change, but beyond beating faster than usual it was steady.

Alice and I had taken Edward to Billy's house where we were keeping him confined to the basement. There we had control over who he was exposed to because it was clear that the scent of human blood was affecting him.

When I'd left Edward alone with Alice earlier in the day, I had hoped his behaviour would return to normal. I had hoped that he was just experiencing my emotions. However, when I returned a few hours later, Edward's thirst for blood was still there. So, Alice and I had decided that confining him was the right thing to do in order to stop him from hurting someone.

"I don't want to hurt Bella," Edward groaned in response to my thoughts.

He was using his mind reading on me, the techniques that I had taught him slipping away.

"I know," I responded.

He lapsed into a restless sleep, but I maintained my focus on him wanting to keep him relaxed so that he wouldn't fight the Change when it hit him.

It was a long time later before Edward spoke again.

"Jasper?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"Hmm?" I responded.

"I remember…" he murmured.

"What?"¸

"My life… or more aptly my undead life…" he said with a bitter chuckle.

I tried to keep the excitement from coming through in my thoughts as I predicted that he was about to fill in the missing pieces of what had happened to him in the past three years.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, sitting forward from my leaning position against the wall opposite him.

"It's information that you need to know," he responded, hesitantly.

"I'll get Alice," I said, getting ready to stand up.

"No! No… Just you…" he gasped, in panic.

His body convulsed in pain at his reaction, causing him to pant in short breaths.

I sat back against the wall in a relaxed posture and sent out feelings of comfort and acceptance. I knew what he wanted. He wanted to confess to me. Most of my family came to me with their secrets because they all felt that because of my past I would be the one that understood the most.

As the pain ebbed, he took a deep breath and rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling before beginning to speak.

"Oscar put me through torture. Always with the threat over my head that Bella was at risk. He kept tabs on her, you know. He told me that she had moved to Florida and started to study at the University of Florida. She had even started dating. He never told me how he knew these things, but I'm sure that he had someone that was reporting to him.

"Even though he told me these things to show that she was so easy to reach, these little details of Bella's life actually gave me comfort. Bella had moved on. My life in exchange for her's seemed fair and _right_. I had lived too long already and I believed that Oscar and his cohorts would tire of me eventually and put me out of my misery.

"But, Oscar continued to look for ways to break me down psychologically. When he attacked my body, I would go to another place. I would imagine lying in bed with Bella- feeling the sweet torture of her body wrapped around me. I had considered it torture once, but it became the balm keeping me from feeling pain.

"Soon though, Oscar tried a different route. He starved me until I was so ravenous that I raved and paced back and forth within my cell like a wild animal," he paused, clearly not wanting to continue. However, I knew he had to get it out for his sake as well as our family's.

"Go on, Edward. You can tell me…" I said, soothingly.

Taking another deep breath, he told me the rest.

"One day he opened the door to my cell and shoved a man into it locking us in together. I stayed as far away from the human trying to control the desire to rip out his throat. I was just so hungry, but I forced myself to try to block out the sound and scent of him. But I couldn't stop his thoughts from infiltrating my mind. Oscar had chosen someone who had killed his girlfriend. She had tried to leave him because she couldn't't take his controlling ways anymore. So, he snuck in her bedroom window one night and strangled her without an ounce of hesitation."

Edward involuntarily let out a strangled sob as his words trailed off.

I realized what he was going to tell me next and I understood his feelings of despair.

"Edward, you can tell me anything and I won't judge you. You have been my confidant for decades. Now, it's my turn to return the favour. Keep going," I urged, gently.

"The human tried to stay as far away from me as possible and for a week I resisted. I resisted his pounding heart. I resisted his evil thoughts. I resisted the smell of the blood. I tried to make myself think of him as a human being not an 'it' which I had started referring to him as in my thoughts.

"But his random thoughts started to chip away at me. I remembered Jill through his thoughts- a happy, beautiful, vibrant woman until she met him. However, the monster didn't remember this vibrant person, he remembered her struggles to fight him off and it didn't bother him. He dismissed them as what she deserved for trying to leave him."

I felt Edward's anger surge at the memory as did mine.

"Jasper, I couldn't stop myself. I lunged. And the blood that filled my mouth was bliss. I drank and drank and drank until the steady flow started to slow and then I pulled away from him.

"At first, I was exhilarated. The blood pulsed through my body, sending electricity through every nerve ending, every cell. I even laughed because I felt better than I had felt in decades. I had never forgotten the taste, but after so long it felt so much better running through my body than I had remembered... It took a while for my conscience to kick in. The horror of what I had done finally hit me, but the man was dead and I couldn't take it back," he finished.

As his words trailed off, I had to snap myself out my thoughts. It felt like I had been there with him. I imagined being trapped in a confined room with the depraved person whose blood called to me. I wouldn't have lasted a week.

"What happened next?" I prodded again.

"Once I realized that he was dead, I crawled away from the body and wedged myself between my bed and the wall. I didn't want Oscar to see what he had reduced me to."

Edward's jaw clenched and he squeezed his eyes shut. I wasn`t sure whether it was due to physical or psychological pain.

"Then... I screamed and continued to scream for a long time," he finished in almost a whisper.

I was surprised that Edward told me this. He was always very private and proud, never wanting to express any signs of weakness.

"Later, I noticed that his taste which still permeated every part of me was 'off.' There had been something bitter about his blood—a faint aftertaste of something foul. Once the delicious taste of human blood faded, the bitterness remained and became stronger as it started to circulate through the venom in my dead body.

"In a matter of days, I felt my body start to weaken. My ability to hear thoughts became less clear and my skin was no longer as impenetrable."

He trailed off for a moment as another bout of pain hit him.

"That was when Oscar started injecting and biting me in order to pump more of his saliva into my body than he had doused the man with. I think that he wanted to see what kind of monster he could create.

"To Oscar's chagrin, I just got weaker and I welcomed it. I thought that it was a sign that I was dying. But I didn't die. I just became weaker every day, causing Oscar to become more frustrated and brutal.

"One day, I decided that if I wasn't going to die then I would take matters into my own hands. Before I took that next step, I made one last feeble effort at escape. I pried a nail out of the baseboard and scratched it against the plaster until I had dug a hole through the wall. But when I looked into another empty cell, I gave up.

"I chiselled into the tile floor 'Edward Masen Cullen R.I.P,' so that if anyone found my resting place they would know that I had accepted my fate. Then, I prepared to kill myself with the nail.

"Unfortunately, the effort of trying to dig my way to freedome exhausted me and I stopped to rest. I soon lost consciousness and when I woke I had no memory of who I was," he finished.

We let his words trail off, digesting everything he had just said.

"Oscar's a monster, Edward. None of it was your fault," I finally said, knowing that these were empty words.

"Does that make the man any less dead?" he responded. "I know that he was evil, but I allowed my cravings to take control. I let my monster out."

"It's over now. We'll keep you safe and in control," I said.

Edward didn't respond. He simply closed his eyes and turned towards the wall.


	29. Doing My Job

Hi everyone. A lot of you are going to think that this chapter is too short. The next chapter which is Bella's point of view is currently being edited so it should be up soon. Let me know what you think!

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**C**HARLIE

Bella was in surgery and I was caught in a whirlwind of things I didn't understand.

Everything around seemed like just noise- people rushing, people talking over each other. However, all I could think about was the sight of my daughter running for her life away from a monster and her bleeding on the ground.

After shooting the… whatever they call it… shifter, I rushed to Bella's side. At first I'd been relieved because she was winded but seemed unharmed. However, when my hand came away from her bloody and she couldn't feel the pain, my heart clenched in panic. I'd never seen someone die on the job, but one of the men on the force had once told me about his partner at another precinct who had been shot and killed. He said that he'd known that his partner was a goner when he hadn't felt the pain of the gunshot wound because of the blood loss. Bella had acted in just that way—unaware of how injured she was.

I was ashamed that I'd let Jacob strong arm me into taking Bella. I was her father and I should have been at her side. However, in my shock, I'd allowed him to rationalize me out of going with her to the hospital.

Now, here I sat in the midst of all this chaos unable to function.

I tried to snap myself out of my trance, knowing that I needed to help for the sake of my daughter. I focused on Sam who seemed to be the one most in control of the situation.

"Has the outsider said anything?" Sam asked.

"No, Embry and Quil are both with him, but the good cop-bad cop routine isn't working. He still refuses to say anything but his name which probably isn't real," Seth snarled in frustration.

This was something that I knew about. This was something that made sense. I forced the rest of my worries aside and pulled on the mantle of my profession.

"Where is he?" I asked, standing up.

"Charlie?" Billy responded in confusion, turning his wheelchair towards me.

"Take me to him. I'll get him to talk," I said.

"I'm not sure-" Sam began.

"This is what I do, Sam. Take me to him," I stated firmly.

"Charlie, he's a shifter. You don't know anything about our kind," he argued.

"I know that he is a criminal who won't talk and that is my area of expertise, not yours. I'm not asking, Sam. He hurt my daughter. Take me to him," I demanded.

Sam nodded and led me to his house where the man was being kept in the basement.

As I walked down the stairs, I saw that Sam had unconsciously set up the room like an interrogation room. Part of an interrogation is setting the stage by putting the suspect in a room in which he can't become comfortable. While Sam had given him clothes, he sat in the middle of the basement tied to a chair with no other furniture nearby.

He was young. Probably a little younger than Bella. He was also a Native American like the Quileute but I had never seen him around the area before. As I approached him, he did not look at me. He stared stoically at the wall, seemingly unfazed by Embry and Quil who paced the room, glaring at him.

I assessed the situation and took the first step, building a rapport with the suspect.

"Hello, sir. My name is Charlie Swan."

When he didn't respond, I turned towards Embry and Quil and said, "It's not necessary to keep him tied up. I just want to talk with him."

Embry looked shocked, but still got up and untied him.

"Quil, will you get this man a glass of water?"

Afte Quil returned with a glass, I motioned for the two of them to leave.

"I'd like to talk with him alone now. I'll call for you if I need anything. He won't do anything rash, will you?" I asked turning back to him.

The man smirked at my attempt to make him feel more at ease, but that was a common reaction.

The boys left reluctantly but not without a grumbled threat from Embry as he passed the seated man.

"Okay, let's start this again. My name is Charlie Swan. May I ask what your name is?"

The man looked into my eyes and responded with one word, "John."

"Where are you from John?"

"Florida," he responded. His face was impassive, but by watching his eyes, I could tell that his name was real, but he wasn't from Florida. The eyes always told the truth.

"Really? I would have thought that you were from around here. You look a lot like the Quileute," I responded.

"Are you saying that we all look alike to you?" he answered with a sneer.

"No, you just look like you belong around here," I said.

His emotional reaction to what I'd said was a good sign. He was not as stoic as he had appeared when I'd come downstairs.

"You also fit in around here because, presumably, you're a… … like Sam's pack," I started. "I'm sorry for my hesitation. Knowing about your… 'kind' is new to me," I explained.

Some times, showing some vulnerability helped make suspects feel like they had the upper hand, which made them easier to manipulate when you suddenly pull the rug out from under them.

"We're a bit of a shock, huh?" he said with a smirk, for one moment not seeming so defensive.

"Was it a shock for you? I don't really know a whole lot about how people become, what do the Quileute call you? Ah, shifters, that's the word," I continued.

I was starting to get a baseline for his emotions by how his face changed as I talked. However, I didn't anticipate his reaction to my statement.

"I turned when I was 16. A little present from the bloodsuckers that moved into my territory!" he snarled.

"What do you mean?" I asked, still not clear on the whole process, but I knew that my lack of knowledge in this case could probably work to my advantage.

"When there are vampires nearby, members of my tribe _turn_ in order to balance the numbers. We live in an isolated community, so the elders thought that we would be safe in the mountains."

I sat for a moment in silence.

I still hadn't fully digested what Billy and Bella had told me about the supernatural world. I hadn't believed it at first. Two days ago I had known with absolute certainty that there were no such things as vampires or shifters. However, when Jacob changed in front of me, I couldn't deny it any longer. This caused me to become really angry. Bella was involved with a monster. The scar of a bite mark on her arm just proved the amount of danger that she was in by being with Edward. Therefore, when Bella approached me outside of Jake's I had been about to tell her that it all had to stop… And then we were attacked.

This young man had been thrust into the supernatural world as well, so I tried to put myself in his shoes.

"Wow, 16, that must have been rough. Had you known that it was a possibility?"

"No, the elders had never thought that it would be an issue because no one had changed in several generations. So, when the bloodsuckers arrived and we started to change it was a shock for everyone. Even my little sister changed…" he started, but then stopped.

His little sister's change obviously upset him as it would any older brother.

"I think that something like that happened here a short while ago," I said, continuing to try to draw him out.

"Yeah, but you seem to be treating the bloodsuckers like they're family. It doesn't make any sense. They're killers. They should all be destroyed. Oscar-" he started, but then abruptly stopped. He seemed disconcerted that he had given away so much.

"I remember Oscar. He visited here about three years ago. When did you meet him?" I asked innocently, pretending not to notice his change in demeanor.

However, I saw in his eyes that he had closed up again.

"My daughter is involved with what you call a 'bloodsucker.' I really don't understand it. How could she fall in love with a monster?" I said, allowing my conflicted feelings to show through.

He looked up at me at my words and I saw that he was engaged again .

"She must have some mental problems. If she only understood the destruction that they leave behind, she wouldn't be so quick to jump in bed with one. We all lost loved ones to them. Even on this reservation, people dont love the bloodsuckers. They've lost people as well."

I remembered Bella's final words to me before she was attacked.

"_Dad, who do you think has the most reason to dislike the Cullens? You know that the Quileutes have for a long time disliked the Cullens. However, who, out of all of them, do you think has the most reason to hate them? Now that you know about the pack, how do you think it is possible that Oscar got on to the reservation without anyone noticing?"_

Someone on the reservation had lost loved ones and they were in league with Oscar and his pack. Who had lost loved ones because of the Cullens? My mind started unconsciously compiling a list. Paul's family lost him after Rachel died, Billy lost his daughter, Jake lost his sister, the Clearwaters lost Harry. The list was endless. The whole reservation had reason to hate the Cullens. It was too much to think about at that moment.

I began to tread even more carefully, infusing my voice with as much sympathy as I could muster, as I began to get into the part of the interrogation that was the most important.

"The others have lost loved ones too? So many lives lost. Oscar has lost a loved one too., so you can all sympathize with each other."

"Oscar is different than the rest of us. Instead of wallowing in his grief, he's doing something with it. You all hate him, but he's fighting for the greater good. He might be able to find a cure. He's putting all of his time and money into his experiments."

"I remember him as being a highly intelligent man during his work at the hospital. The other doctors said that he had great promise," I lied. I knew very little of Oscar's time working at the hospital, but I knew that complimenting this man's hero would loosen him up even more. "It must have been hard for him to leave the hospital."

"It was, but he'd come into a lot of money. It was enough for him to build his own clinic, so he could focus all of his attention on the mission," he continued.

"Where's this clinic? I haven't heard of any new clinic nearby?" I asked, knowing that this would shut him up again, but I needed to use it as a bridge.

He looked me in the eye and slammed his mouth shut, jaw clenching.

"I'm only asking because my daughter's been seriously injured. She was the one you attacked," I said, matter-of-factly.

He looked guilt-stricken for a moment before looking away.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Oscar told me to get her, but she ran. I tried to grab her, but I bit her instead."

"Why did Oscar want her?"

He looked at me tight lipped again, but I knew that I had him this time.

"Come on, son. I need to know. Does he want to hurt my child?"

"No!" he gasped. "Oscar doesn't want to hurt humans. He wants to help humanity. He wanted your daughter as a bargaining tool to get that bloodsucker Edward. We already caught the doctor. We just need the patient. Paul told him that the girl was the key to getting Edward."

I tried not to show my shock. Paul. He was one of them. Also, he said that they'd caught the doctor. Did he mean Carlisle?

"Son, was any of your group responsible for killing the shop keeper Bob Quinlan?" I continued.

Again, he looked away.

"He was a human and _he_ certainly was harmed. He's dead…" I said bluntly. "Look at me, son. Tell me that it wasn't one of your group that killed him and I'll believe you," I pushed, seeing that he was about to break.

"I… I… It... Things got out of control. It's Edward's fault. The only person Oscar wants is Edward. He's been getting more desperate day by day. He wouldn't have hurt those people if he wasn't so desperate."

_People? What people? _

"Are there other people hurt? Son, you need to tell me so that I can get them help. They could be dead or dying right now," I said, urgently.

He looked away again, not speaking.

I let the silence linger to the point of it being uncomfortable. Then, I spoke.

"I know you're not a bad kid. You've just gotten caught up in all of this. However, if you don't tell me who Oscar hurt, then you'll _become_ responsible," I explained.

He finally looked at me with tears in his eyes.

"They're not seriously hurt, but… Oscar... bit them," he said.

"I don't understand what does that have to do with it," I said, confused.

"He's a werewolf, so whoever he's bitten will turn into one on the full moon," he replied.

Panic flooded me.

"Bella! You bit her! Is she going to turn?" I said, jumping up from my chair in front of him.

"Sir, no! No! I'm not a werewolf! I can't change anyone!"

I felt a momentary relief, but then I felt fear start to build up inside of me.

"Are you telling me that Oscar has bitten people in the area and that they're going to turn tomorrow night?"

"Yes…" he said, sadly.

"Who? You have to tell me who!" I said, grabbing his shoulder.

"I don't know, but I know that there are four of them."


	30. Bad Moon Rising

A:N/ Happy New Year! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**BELLA**

"Miss Simpson? It's time to wake up now."

I didn't recognize the name, so I ignored the voice. It felt like swimming against the current to actually open my eyes and it didn't seem worth the effort.

"Come on, Bells. Wake up."

The familiar sound of Jake's voice made me fight to open my eyes. However, when I opened them, I was blinded by the bright lights in the room.

"Jake? Where am I?" I mumbled, groggily.

The last thing that I remembered was talking to Charlie outside Jake's home.

Jake's warm hand enveloped mine as his face stepped between me and the blinding light. At the sight of his familiar face, I felt the confusion start to ebb.

He smiled at me and said, "Take it easy, Bells. You're in the hospital but everything is okay. You had an accident and had to have surgery, but everything's okay now."

The attack in the clearing came back to me in a flash—a streak of brown fur, breath huffing on the back of my neck, the tearing of my shirt.

I gasped and tried to sit up, but a sharp pain blazed across my side, causing me to fall back on the bed panting.

"Miss Simpson!" spoke someone to Jacob's left. "You can't move around a lot. You've just gone through surgery and your body needs to heal."

Jake smoothed my hair off my face and smiled gently at me.

"Take it easy Bells. You shouldn't over exert yourself."

However, his attempt to soothe me was broken by the other person's voice again.

"Miss Simpson, can you tell me what happened to you?" I was surprised by the name, but clearly Jake had given the person a different name for me, so that they couldn't trace back to me and Charlie.

Jacob turned towards him in annoyance.

"Can you give her a minute? She just woke up!"

I looked past Jake to a man standing at the foot of my bed. He was a tall elderly man with steel gray hair and glasses. Paired with the white coat, he was a stereotypical doctor. However, when he looked at me, I started to become alarmed. I could sense his excitement and nervousness by the way his eyes gleamed and how he shifted from one foot to the other.

I looked at Jake and saw that his eyes were guarded as he looked between me and the doctor.

"I don't remember what happened," I responded, knowing that it was the safest answer. Because of the surgery, I really could have had amnesia.

"Okay, I'll give you a little time," he said. However, I could tell by the tone in his voice that he wasn't happy about giving me that time. "I'll send the nurse in with some food." He hesitated in the doorway, his mouth opening as if he were about to say something, but instead strode out the door.

I looked at Jake as the doctor left the room, but just as Jake was about to speak the nurse walked in and began to lay out food on the table in front of me.

She puttered around the room while I ate, not giving Jake and I an opportunity to talk alone. And she was still in the room when the doctor returned. The doctor spoke quietly to her and then ushered her out and shut the door.

"I know that you've just woken up, but there are some things that I'm concerned about. Before taking you into surgery, I took your blood to the lab so I could run some tests. The results that came back are confusing to say the least. I need to know whether you've been using any experimental drugs."

"What? No. I don't use drugs," I responded in confusion.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but you're blood says otherwise," he stated, pausing to clean his glasses on his shirt.

I surreptitiously clutched Jake's hand in fear of what the doctor was about to say.

"At first, I thought that you had a viral infection that had developed into cancer. When some viruses attack a cell, it inserts a part of its own DNA near the cell growth genes, causing cell division. The group of changed cells that are formed from the first cell dividing all have the same virus and they quickly begin to multiply. However, your changed cells are nothing that I've ever seen before. And what is even more extraordinary is that in your case, it seems like your immune system is constantly adapting to fight these changed cells. As I looked at your blood through the microscope, it appeared almost as if your cells and the changed ones were fighting! I've never seen anything like it. So, Miss, you need to tell me what you've been taking. Whatever it is, it could be a major breakthrough in medicine," he finished with an almost manic look in his eyes.

A growing alarm was building inside of me. I suddenly knew for certain that this doctor was not going to let me leave. And once he had more of an opportunity to study me, he would want to bring in other doctors.

I could see the alarm in Jake's eyes too.

"Doc, can I speak to my friend alone? What you've told us is a lot to process," he said, innocently.

The doctor looked at us suspiciously.

"I'm sorry, I can't. Not until Miss Simpson tells me what she's been taking," he stated.

Jake slid off the bed smoothly and in two quick steps reached the doctor and punched him, causing the doctor to drop to the ground, unconscious.

Whipping back towards me, he quickly moved to my side.

"Bella, we can't stay here. Do you feel like you have the strength to leave? How much pain are you in?"

I was still in so much shock that for a moment I didn't understand his questions.

"I'll be fine," I finally whispered.

He nodded and then helped me get dressed because with my injury every movement was painful.

"What are we going to do with him?" I asked, looking down at the crumpled form of the doctor.

Jake paused for a moment and then he said, "We tie him and the nurse up and take the blood results with us. He doesn't know your real name, so we should be fine."

Without another word, he left the room and came back in with the unconscious nurse.

Quickly he tied them up and dragged them into an adjoining room.

"Okay. I'll be right back, Bells," he said, quickly leaving the room.

With him gone, my mind repeated one thing over and over again.

_Oh God! What is happening to me?_

It was so scary that I tried as hard as I could to push the information that the doctor had just given me deep down inside. I just couldn't deal with the idea of there being something wrong with me too.

I was so focused on keeping the fear at bay that I didn't even notice that Jake had returned until he spoke, causing me to jump.

"The coast is clear. I'm going to carry you, okay?" he asked.

When I nodded, he scooped me up in his arms and slipped quietly out the door and down the hall towards the emergency exit.

Once we reached the truck, Jake slid me into the front seat and hurried to the driver's side. The sounds and sights around me seemed amplified. While the light outside was muted, it still seemed too bright; the sound of my seat belt clicking was too loud. I wondered at that moment whether I had a fever which caused my mind to drift back to the doctor's comments. However, I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind again.

Once we were on the road, we didn't talk at first. I don't think that either of us knew what to say.

I was the one who eventually broke the silence.

"Jake, we can't tell anyone about me," I said. "There is enough for everyone to worry about."

"Bells-" he began, but I cut him off.

"No," I said again, louder, adamant that Jake listen to me.

Then, I turned to stare out the window, leaving Jake in silence.

It was a cold grey day. The weather had changed overnight, when a storm front descended on the area, bringing with it a granite sky and a pouring rain. Although it was now only a little after two o'clock, it felt more like six with the pallor of evening already darkening the sky. It would be completely dark by four.

After driving a distance, I noticed that we had passed by the reservation.

"Jake? Where are we going?" I asked.

However, instead of speaking, he turned the truck onto a logging road and pulled over.

For a moment, he sat staring straight ahead, his arms resting on the top of the steering wheel. The only sound was the rhythmic squeak of the windshield wipers as they dragged across the glass.

Finally, with a deep breath, Jake turned towards me.

"Bella," he said. "We need to tell the others what the doctor said."

I looked straight ahead, not letting myself get overwhelmed with the fear.

"No…" I said, firmly.

"Bells, we need to have everything out in the open. We need to know what we're dealing with even if it is overwhelming. Secrets are never a good thing," he tried to reason.

"No. There is enough that everyone has to deal with. I'm fine," I said, sounding harsher than I meant to. "I'm not contagious and we don't have a doctor, so what's the sense in saying anything until we get Carlisle back. Whatever is happening is supernatural, so a normal doctor wouldn't even know what to do with me… Everyone has enough to deal with," I responded.

However, Jake was not convinced.

"Bella…" he said and reached over to squeeze my hand. "I'm sorry, but this isn't up for discussion. I'm telling them with or without your consent."

Then, his tone changed to something more hesitant. "I talked to Sam and he said that Edward isn't doing too well. Jasper is pretty sure that he's going through the Change. They're keeping him in my father's basement right now," he said, gently.

"What? Is he okay? What's happening to him?" I asked, sitting up straighter which again pulled at my stitches.

"I'm sorry, Bells. From what Sam told me, it seems like when Edward and Jasper returned and he smelled the blood after the shifter attack, he went crazy," he responded.

"Blood…" I said, hollowly, "… my blood…"

Jake didn't answer, but he didn't have to. I knew that it was my blood.

I felt tears prick my eyes, but I forced them away because I knew that if I started then I would never stop.

Jake squeezed my hand one more time before letting go and turning the ignition.

"We have to get back. I just wanted you to be prepared," he finished gently.

When we arrived at the reservation, we drove directly to Billy's house. Before I could get out on my own, Jake hurried around to my side of the car and lifted me out, carrying me up the steps. At the sound of our footsteps, the door opened and Billy wheeled out.

"Bella," he said. "How are you?"

However, I barely registered his voice.

The minute the door opened I heard someone screaming from inside the house. The voice was raw and full of pain and very familiar.

I gasped in alarm and tried to wrench myself out of Jake's arms.

"Whoa, Bella. You're going to hurt yourself. Take it easy."

"No! Let me go!" I shouted.

Jake set me on my feet in the doorway, but Billy blocked my entrance to the house. His face, while filled with sympathy, was determined.

"Bella, you can't go down there. Edward's dangerous," he said.

"You can't keep me from him Billy!" I shouted, desperate to get into the house.

I couldn't stand the pain in Edward's hoarse screams.

Then, a voice spoke from inside the house.

"Let her in Billy."

At Alice's words, Billy reluctantly backed into the house and allowed me in.

However, Alice stopped me before I could hurry towards the sound of Edward's voice.

"Bella, you can't go down there," she said, gripping my arms firmly. "Even with Jasper's powers, Edward is not himself."

I looked at her in frustration.

"He needs me, Alice. He's probably hearing all of your thoughts right now. I'm the only one who gives him peace."

"You're also the one who brings his bloodlust to the forefront. And Bella, he is having bloodlust. I'm so sorry," she said, gently, trying to pull me into a hug.

I resisted, pushing away from her.

"It doesn't matter if he has bloodlust. He is still _Edward_. Plus, Jasper is down there with him, right? Alice, please, you can't keep me from him," I tried to sound firm, but I knew that there was a note of pleading in my voice.

Edward's screaming broke off abruptly, causing us all to look towards the basement in alarm.

I spun away from Alice and dashed towards the basement door, but Jake beat me to it.

"Okay, Bells. We'll go downstairs, but you need to stay behind me and if I think he's a danger, then we're going back upstairs even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming."

I nodded, not really listening to him. I didn't care what he said as long as it got me downstairs with Edward.

I followed Jake down the steep stairs to the basement, but I had to pause half way down because a misstep caused me to lurch forward, tugging sharply on my stitches in the process.

The pain was so severe that it made me nauseous. I pressed my hand against my bandaged side and took a couple of deep breaths.

Jake turned back to look at me, but before he could say anything, I spoke.

"I'm okay. Keep going."

I forced myself away from the wall and took another step.

"Bella?"

Edward's voice saying my name was the most wonderful sound that I'd ever heard.

"I'm here, Edward," I gasped.

I hurried down the steps, ignoring the pain. However, as we reached the bottom, Jake blocked my path. I tried to step around him, but Jake pushed me behind him.

When I peered around Jake, I saw Jasper first. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall in what seemed like a relaxed posture. However, his eyes said something different. He was on guard, his eyes never wavering from a spot on the opposite side of the room.

"Bella?" Edward said, again.

I shoved away Jake's arm and spun around him so that I was standing in front.

The fading daylight streaming through the window above him illuminated the dust in the air, making it hard for me to see him at first. However, once I'd edged a little closer, I saw that Edward was sitting on a small bed that was pushed against the wall in the far corner. Like Jasper, he was sitting with his back against the wall, but his legs were pulled up against his chest and he was leaning forward with his face pressed against his knees.

I could see his back rising and falling in quick panting breaths.

"Edward, are you okay?" I said, taking a step towards him.

However, Jake grabbed my arm and held me still before I could move any further.

At the sound of my voice, Edward's head slowly came up.

I stopped breathing for a second. At first, he looked just like Edward. His face was glistening with sweat and there was a tightness to his features that meant he was in pain, but he didn't look different. However, it was his eyes that shocked me. His eyes were wild looking, more like an animal than a person. They burned as they looked at me and for a second I felt trapped under his gaze. He tilted his head to the side and then I distinctly saw his head tilt up as he sniffed the air.

For a moment, I felt afraid of him. Jake's grip tightened on my arm and I felt him begin to pull me away.

I knew that if I let him take me away than none of them would ever let me back to see him, so I forced my fear away.

"Edward, it's me Bella," I said, gently, not trying to approach him but not moving away either.

He continued to look at me with his head cocked to the side.

It was scary being scrutinized in this way, but I couldn't let it show. I couldn't let him see my fear. I instinctively knew that if he saw my fear than I would never get him back.

"Do you remember me?" I said softly.

He gave no response, just continued to stare intently at me.

"I love you and you love me. Don't you remember?"

He didn't speak, but I thought that I saw a glimmer of something human in his eyes.

"Bella," he croaked. His voice was so hoarse from screaming that he could barely talk.

"Yeah, it's me," I sighed, relieved that he'd at least spoken. "I love you so much."

When I looked into his eyes again, I could see the animal had vanished. However, with the feverish gleam gone, he looked so lost.

"Bella…" he moaned, but dropped his gaze, pressing his face back against his knees.

I swayed on my feet, but Jake was there to catch me.

Jasper stood up and brought a chair over to me and carefully helped Jake sit me down.

"Bella, you can't make any sudden moves. Edward is just on the edge," Jasper said.

"I won't," I responded.

Jake leaned up against the wall between Edward and I, but didn't try to take me away.

I just stared at Edward for a while. His wrists were shackled with a thick chain to the wall behind him. They looked raw around the cuffs and every time he moved the chain clanked loudly, causing me to flinch at how much they probably hurt to wear.

I wanted to go to him. It felt like if I could just touch him than I could make everything better.

"Edward," I said gently, "can you look at me?"

He barely raised his head, but he did meet my eyes.

"Bella," he said, hoarsely. "You shouldn't be here. I can't stop the change. It's over."

"No, Edward. It isn't. Whatever changes your body is going through, you're still Edward. Vampire, werewolf, human, you're still Edward in mind and soul. You just need to fight to hold on to that part of you. Just keep talking to me. Stay with me."

"I don't know if I can," he said with a sob.

I felt tears well up in my eyes at the deep sadness and fear in that one choked sentence. However, I steeled myself. I was going to be strong for him. I had to fight to keep Edward's mind whole.

"Yes, you can. I won't leave you. Just keep talking to me."

He didn't say anything at first, but then he spoke.

"I miss… our time at the lake. It was the best time of my entire existence," he mumbled.

"I miss it too. It was our own little world. Do you remember the day when we spent all day swimming and tanning on the beach? I was skimming through Wuthering Heights. What were you reading?"

"I wasn't reading anything. I was watching you," he practically whispered.

"Well, I don't think that I was making any real attempt to read either. It was taking all of my control not to pounce on you," I responded.

He was quiet for a few moments.

"I was planning on taking you to Isle Esme for our honeymoon. It's an island that Carlisle bought for Esme off the coast of Brazil," he said.

"For our honeymoon? When did you decide that?" I said confused. He had proposed to me on the beach and at that time he didn't want to have anything to do with Carlisle and Esme.

"I decided it about a half an hour before I left you with Jake and wandered off into the forest to give you privacy. The moment when I ruined all of our lives."

I froze at his words.

_Did that mean that he had his memory back?_

"Edward, do you remember?" I gasped.

"Yes, it started to come back at the same time as the pain started. I guess it must be related to the Change. I shouldn't have wished so hard to get my memory back, eh?" he said with a bitter laugh, but it was choked off by a gasp of pain.

And then the screaming started again.

His whole body contorted in pain and he collapsed on the bed.

I jumped to my feet, lurching towards him but both Jasper and Jake were at my side before I had a chance to barely move.

"Take her upstairs now!" Jasper said.

Just as these words escaped his lips, Edward lunged forward, straining against his chains as he reached for me. The creature that I'd seen earlier was back and all I could see in his eyes was a need to feed.

Jake grabbed my arm and started tugging me towards the stairs, but I fought him. I had to help Edward keep his mind whole. I couldn't let him lose himself.

"No! No! Let me go! I can't leave! He needs me!" I shouted and fought.

However, Jake picked me up and carried me up the stairs.

* * *

My whole body shook and no matter how much Jake and Charlie tried to soothe me, my body wouldn't stop shaking. I was so afraid, afraid of the full moon, afraid that I was turning into some kind of creature, but above all afraid that Edward was gone forever. I continued to fight Jake once he had me upstairs. I ignored the pain as a few of my stitches ripped and tried to force my way past him.

Alice tried to tell me that until Edward stopped screaming there was no reaching him. However, I continued to fight Jake until the blood of my torn stitches started to soak through my shirt, which caused Charlie to step in. He stood in front of me and just braced his hands against my shoulders and told me that I had to get a hold of myself. I couldn't fight against my father. Looking into his eyes took all of the fight out of me and with its absence the pain in my side hit me full force. I allowed him to take me to the kitchen where Sue re-stitched some of my torn ones.

Sam had called a meeting of all the Quileute who knew about the supernatural world. While I lay on the couch with Charlie at my side, they discussed what our plans were going forward.

Against my wishes, Jake told everyone about what the doctor had told us. When Charlie heard about the doctor's diagnosis, he could barely contain his fury. He shouted at Jake and Alice that they had done this to me. However, his anger wasn't only directed towards Jake and Alice, he blamed Billy too. He told him that he could never forgive him for not telling him about all this. Tears came to my eyes, but I couldn't say anything. Charlie was right. It was unfair that we had all kept him in the dark. We had put everyone in jeopardy by keeping silent.

After he had exhausted himself, Charlie collapsed on the couch next to me, putting his arm around my shoulder and pulling me tight. He clutched me to him as if he could protect me as long as I stayed in his arms. I collapsed against him, taking comfort.

After a few moments of holding me, he told us about what he'd discovered from John, the captive shifter.

Four people were bitten. Paul was working with them. And tomorrow was the full moon.

I could sense that the tension in the air had quadrupled at the mention of Paul. Not just because of his betrayal, but also because of the insight that Paul had into the inner workings of the Quileute. Combined with Edwards moans and muffled screams it was hard for anyone to remain focused on what needed to be done.

"Give them Edward," Charlie finally said. "Someone needs to put a stop to this and clearly Edward is not going to be Edward much longer. He is just as much of a danger as are these four people who will turn tomorrow night. Maybe if Oscar gets what he wants, he'll tell us about the four bitten people."

"Dad! How can you say that?" I exclaimed, trying to sit up.

However, he pulled me back to him.

"Bells. _You're_ my priority. I need to keep you safe and they've already brought so much danger and destruction upon us that I don't think we owe them anything," he said, gesturing towards the others in the room. "I want to get you to a hospital, so that they can treat you. That's my priority. Nothing else."

"Charlie. If you take Bella to a clinic, then you'll never get her back," Sue said.

She'd been quiet for most of the evening, just taking everything in. However, she spoke with confidence as she always did.

"We need to keep her here, Charlie. Once we find Carlisle, he'll know how to treat Bella, but taking her to a hospital will only put her in danger," Alice said. "What we should be doing now, is checking people for bite marks. That's the only way we can discover who is infected. I'm also quite sure that the infected people will be the ones who have been helping Oscar. If they weren't, they would have come forward by now."

"I'll gather people at the community centre," Sue said, jumping up to leave.

"We only have tonight and tomorrow to figure this out. I don't need to remind you all that tomorrow night is the full moon," Sam stated. "Quil, I want you to go to the community centre with Sue. Take an inventory of all the families who have storm cellars, or any places that can be fortified so that people can barricade themselves inside. We need to prepare ourselves for an attack tomorrow night."

"Rosalie and Emmett will be here soon, so they'll be able to help patrol the perimeter. Charlie, do you think that you've gotten all the information out of the shifter that he can give us?"

"The only thing that I think John is holding back is the location of Oscar's bunker. I'm not sure whether he'll give that information up. He doesn't want anyone to get hurt, but he worships Oscar," he said, sitting up from his position next to me.

"Let me have a go at him. I know that I can get him to talk," Embry growled.

"No! You will not hurt that kid. He's not the enemy. He's just wrapped up in something he doesn't really understand. I'll talk to him. He trusts me," Charlie growled, letting me go in order to stand up.

"Charlie, he's our only hope of getting to Oscar before he comes for us," Sam said.

Suddenly, a cell phone rang, causing everyone to jump at its interruption in the tense filled atmosphere.

"Wait!" Alice practically shouted. "It's Carlisle's number!"

Everyone froze as Alice lifted the phone to her ear.

"Carlisle?" she asked. She was silent for a few moments, listening to whatever he had to say.

"Yes… We have him. He's not doing-" she was cut off by Carlisle.

"Are you sure? But we'd be giving him what he wants…" she responded.

"Okay… okay…" she responded. "Is Esme okay?"

At whatever Carlisle said, Alice sighed with relief.

She listened for a few more minutes and then said, "Be careful, Carlisle."

After hanging up the phone, everyone held their breath, waiting for her to tell us what was said.

"Carlisle is with Oscar. He said that Oscar is giving us one last chance to deliver Edward to him. He's given us a meeting place and time. We're supposed to meet some of his pack in a clearing near the Seven Lakes Basin two hours before dusk tomorrow night. Once Edward is with them, Carlisle will call me and give me the names of the infected people."

"How is this different than his ultimatum before?" Quil asked, quizzically. "We said no before, aren't we going to say no, now?"

No one said a word. Even Alice seemed uncertain about what to do next.

Finally, Sam spoke.

"Okay. This doesn't change the rest of our plans. Quil, go to the community centre and help Sue. We need to make sure that everyone is safe tomorrow night."

At Sam's command, Quil quickly exited the house.

Then, he turned towards the rest of us and said, "Okay. Now, let's try to figure out how we can use Oscar's demand to our advantage."


	31. The Exchange

**EDWARD**

When the red haze receded from my eyes and the pounding of my own blood in my ears lessened, I became aware of my surroundings again. However, with that awareness the blood-longing became stronger than ever before.

The scent of Bella's blood wafting down the stairs caused the monster inside to whisper terrible things and I had to fight with all of my might not to give in to the monster's hissed words.

_You are a killer, a thing that preys, living on the things that live_, the monster inside of me said. _Just have a little taste. You can control yourself. It will be just like sucking out James' venom. You were able to control yourself then, why not now? One little nick and you can just have a taste. Wouldn't it be a relief to just give in?_ _One taste, one taste, one taste…_

I wrenched myself out of the monster's grasp and began to bang my handcuffs against the wall, hoping that the clanging of the metal against concrete and the pain of the cuffs rubbing against my raw flesh would distract me as it had last time.

It was so hard with the barrage of voices screaming in my head to hold onto even a shred of myself. The thoughts of the others upstairs were full of anger, fear, and frustration only fueled my own. And more than anything else the monster talked and talked and talked until I felt like screaming.

Eventually, I was able to subdue the thoughts but not block them entirely. However, with this amount of quiet regained, I was able to tame the monster and force it into the background.

I started to listen to the words of the others upstairs, wanting to know what I had missed during my battle with the monster.

"Will you be able to keep Edward in control long enough for him to use his mind reading?"

I didn't recognize the voice of the Quileute that spoke, but my name immediately caught my attention.

"If I focus all of my attention on him, depending on his state of mind, I should be able to keep him controlled. However, I won't be able to help fight if it comes down to it. I need all of my focus to be on Edward," Jasper responded.

"When we meet for the exchange, we'll ask leading questions and let Edward listen to their thoughts. If he's in control of himself, he would only need a few moments to hear what they're thinking. Then, he should be able to communicate it to Jasper," Alice continued.

"That should give us time to communicate the names of those infected to Jake and Seth who will stay in their wolf forms on the reservation," Sam said.

"It all hinges on Edward… Do you really think he'll be able to keep it together long enough? He seems like he's in really bad shape to me," Embry stated.

"It's a risk, but it's our best option. We need to find out two pieces of information before dusk: the names of the infected people and Oscar's hideout. If Edward is able to find out the names of the infected people, Jake and Seth will quarantine them from the others. And if we have people strategically placed in the area, we may be able to follow Edward and his captors to Oscar's hideout," Jasper said.

"He'll have to be nearby. Wouldn't Oscar want to know that he has Edward locked away before he turns?" I recognized Emmett's voice and felt a sense of relief.

My brother, despite his teasing nature, had always been a grounding force in our family. He was able to cut through a lot of the emotions that the rest of us often became embroiled in and bring us back to reality.

"I'm sure that Oscar will have some sort of a contingency plan, but I don't think we have a choice," Jasper stated.

"We can't do this to Edward! It's wrong!" Bella responded.

At the sound of her voice, the monster reared its ugly head and I was lost for a few moments in its whisperings.

_One taste, one taste, one taste…_

"Bella-" Charlie began, but Bella interrupted him.

"I won't let you do this! You can't offer him up like a sacrificial lamb! We'll lose him! Don't you understand? He needs me. I'm the only one that can ground him." I could hear that she was near tears, but I could also hear the steel in her voice.

"Bella, we have no other choice. We need to find out who's been bitten and you know that we need to get Carlisle back. You need him to treat you," Alice explained, firmly.

At her words, I sat up abruptly from my prone position on the bed.

_Bella needs to be treated? What's wrong with her?_

I opened my mind to Alice's thoughts and was terrified by what I heard.

…_changed cells… quickly multiply... nothing that I've ever seen before…_

"Jasper, I need to talk to you," I said, knowing that he would be able to hear me.

"Excuse me. I need to check on Edward," Jasper said and I heard his footfalls descending the stairs.

As he reached the bottom, he said, "You heard?"

"Yes," I responded. "I want you to make the exchange. I'll hold on long enough to give you the information you need. Bella needs Carlisle. I don't care what happens to me. I knew that I was putting her in danger by being with her. Now, I'm the only one who can set it right."

He nodded, not trying to argue. Jasper never let his emotions interfere in a situation. I knew that I could count on him to see where I was coming from.

"Who's going to protect Bella when we're gone?" I asked, this being my only concern about the plan.

"While the rest of us are hunting Oscar and his pack, Seth, Jake, Quil and Alice will stay behind to guard the reservation. Everyone who has a storm cellar or basement that can be fortified will barricade themselves inside just before dusk. Charlie, Sue, and Bella will stay at Jake's. They'll be safe there. I checked it out. He's built a "panic room" under the floor of his living room," he explained.

"Where will you be after the exchange?" I asked, knowing that Jasper was our best fighter.

"I need to be at your side until the exchange happens. Then, I'll join the search for Oscar's hideout. Emmett, Rose, and I will search in different quadrants of the forest a group of wolves who can relay information to each other through their pack's group mind."

I nodded in resignation. Everything was set. Now all there was to be done was tell Bella.

"I need to talk to Bella before I lose control again," I said, hollowly, dreading what I had to do.

He nodded and went upstairs.

"Bella, Edward wants to see you," Jasper said, softly.

"What? No!" Charlie shouted. "She can't go down there. He's dangerous!"

"I won't leave her side, Charlie. He's chained to the wall and I'll keep Bella at a safe distance. I promise that I won't let him hurt her," Jasper reasoned.

Then, I heard Bella's soft footfalls followed by Jasper's heavier ones coming down the stairs.

I knew that Bella wouldn't let me go without a fight, so I had to convince her that there was nothing left to fight for. In order to do that, I had to convince her that the monster had won. I needed to make her afraid of me.

I let out a growl as she reached the bottom of the stairs and I saw her hesitate.

"Edward?" she said in a hopeful voice.

Instead of responding to her, I growled louder and lunged towards her, straining against the chains.

She flinched, cowering a little, as I continued to thrash at my chains and snap my teeth as if I were trying to attack her.

However, I saw her take a deep breath and force herself to a standing position. Then, she walked determinedly towards me, sitting down on the chair in front of my bed.

"I know you're still in there Edward," she said softly, staring into my eyes. "I can see it in your eyes." As she gazed steadily into mine, for once, I hated that she knew me so well.

I clenched my eyes shut and slumped to the floor in front of her.

"Bella, you need to leave me. I'm a monster," I snarled, angry at her for not understanding the danger I posed to her.

"I know you feel that way now, but you beat it before and you'll do it again," I said, confidently.

"They need to shoot me like a rabid dog," I snarled lunging at her, straining at my chains, wanting her to be afraid of me. She flinched away again, before sitting up straight in the chair again.

The monster clawed its way back to the surface.

_She wants it Edward… She wants you to take her. Just let go and the suffering will end for both of you. Don't you want the suffering to end? Look at her. Look at the blood pumping through her veins. Just let go…_

"You need to stay away from me," I said, closing my eyes and hunching in upon myself.

"Edward, please," she said in agony.

"No, Bella, it's all over for us. I'm going to go to Oscar tonight. It will be better for everyone. I need you to be safe, not only from Oscar, but me too. I know about what's happening to you. I know that you're sick; something is happening inside your body that only Carlisle may have a chance of treating. I need to get Carlisle back for you. It's the only way."

She began to cry and I felt the tears close to the surface too.

"Edward, you promised that you'd never leave me. You told me that you'd protect me. Don't you remember?"

I tried to repress the memories. However, unbidden, an image appeared in my head of Bella lying naked under me, her eyes staring up at me so full of love and desire. All I wanted to do was love and protect her, which I told her over and over again.

"Oh God, Bella, don't… I'm weak…" I moaned. I wanted that moment back so badly, but it was gone and there was no sense in hoping for it. "I'm sorry that I came back into your life only to destroy it like this. However, by giving myself up, I can save you. You need Carlisle. He's the only one that can stop what's happening to you. I know that with every fiber of my being."

"Edward, please…" she begged.

I shifted closer to her as far as the chain would allow.

I heard Jasper begin to move, but I held my hand out, showing that I was still in control.

I reached out for her and she slid to the floor, moving quickly towards me so that I could reach out and touch her. I took her hand and kissed her palm before holding it to my cheek for a moment, relishing in the feel of her against my skin.

The monster screamed in my head at the scent of her skin and the feel of her pulse, but I forced myself to hold it at bay for just that one little touch.

Then, even though it broke my heart to do it, I looked into her eyes and said goodbye.

"Goodbye, my Bella. I love you. So much. More than you'll ever know. Don't forget that," I practically whispered, holding back tears.

She stared into my eyes broken-hearted, but instead of reaching for her like I wanted to. I dragged myself away from her and let the monster carry me away.

* * *

The sun started to makes its journey towards the horizon, with the moon moving to take its place of prominence in the night sky. I watched it through the basement window, feeling hollow. Without Bella, I didn't really care what happened to me. All that I had to focus on was keeping myself in control long enough to get Carlisle back to her.

Jasper was the first to come for me with Emmett following close behind.

"It's time Edward," Jasper said, as Emmett came to my side and detached the chains from the walls. They did not take the chains off even though the two of them could easily control me.

"I don't want to see her," I said to Emmett, not needing to say her name.

He squeezed my shoulder before saying, "You know her, man. I don't know whether anyone can keep Bella away. She'll fight to see you before you go. I think it's the only way that she'll accept that it's your decision."

I shook my head in sadness, knowing that they were right.

When I stood up, I felt my bones and muscles burn in protest. The monster roared to life at the pain, demanding that I run that I hunt. However, I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other and repeated one phrase over and over again in my head.

_Just a few more hours… just a few more hours… _

When we reached the top of the stairs, I was relieved that it was mostly quiet. I was sure that it had been Jasper's idea to clear the house in order to cut down on the amount of thoughts that would assault me, which he knew would threaten my control.

"Where are we going?" I asked, calmly.

"There is a clearing near the area of the Seven Lakes Basin. Carlisle gave Alice the GPS coordinates. We've already sent out scouts to cover the area. Oscar's hideout needs to be nearby. He would want to know that you're in his custody before he changes tonight," Emmett responded.

"Okay. We're on a time crunch. Let's get moving," I stated, taking a deep breath before walking out of the front door.

Outside the air was crisp, taking my breath away for a moment. Having not been outside for a few days, my still human eyes squinted at the last light of day. When my eyes adjusted, I looked around at the faces of the people who stood spread out in a semi-circle around Billy's house. Mostly everyone was there except for those under Sue's guidance who were preparing houses for tonight.

No one spoke, but everyone's thoughts were bleak. As I took the last step off the stairs, the circle broke apart opening up a path for me as I walked ahead of Jasper and Emmett towards.

Then, I heard a commotion break out behind me.

"Let me see him! Alice! Dad! Let go of me! You can't let him do this!" Bella begged.

I continued walking, knowing that if I spoke to her again, I would lose my resolve.

"Edward! Please! Don't leave me!"she sobbed.

"Edward, man… You should say something…"Emmett murmured. From his thoughts, he told me that I should say something because this could be the last time that I ever saw Bella.

I stopped walking and said, "Alice, let her go."

"Hold me tight. Don't let me hurt her," I said to Jasper and Emmett who still held the chains that manacled my wrists.

As she ran towards me, they held the chains tighter.

Instead of stopping at a safe distance, Bella crashed into me, throwing her arms around me.

I exhaled sharply, not only because of the impact, but because of the assault of her delicious scent.

I inhaled deeply, the monster screaming inside of my head again.

However, when she looked up at me with tearful eyes, I was able to suppress the monster.

"Promise, you'll come back," she begged.

"Bella…" I started.

"Edward, promise me. Once you have Carlisle. Come back to me. I don't care what state you're in. Just come back," she begged.

"I'll try," was all that I could say, not wanting to lead her on.

She stared up at me for a moment longer, before throwing her arms around my neck and pulling my head down to hers for a fierce kiss.

Then, without another word, she turned and ran quickly towards Billy's house.

* * *

We drove most of the way to Seven Lakes Basin which was 30 miles from Port Angeles. Most of the group could have run there, but Jasper said that we needed to leave as little of a trail as possible, so that Oscar's pack wouldn't know how many of us would be in the area.

Jasper, Emmett and I drove in one vehicle at the end of the line because Sam wanted everyone else in place before I was taken to the clearing.

I tried to shield myself from Jasper and Emmett's thoughts, but inside such a confined space it was hard. They kept punching holes through my wall, especially Jasper. He kept going through scenarios in his head, trying to prepare for any outcome of the exchange. Every single scenario hinged on me and he was very concerned that I wouldn't be able to hold it together.

"I'll be okay," I murmured.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I can't control my thoughts," he said, sadly.

"It's okay. I understand," I responded.

We continued the rest of the drive in silence, each of us lost in our thoughts, they on the exchange ahead and me on the struggle to lock the monster away in the recesses of my mind.

When we pulled to a stop, I was startled out of my thoughts.

"We're here," Emmett muttered, almost to himself.

"Everyone else should already be in place," Jasper said, looking at me in the rearview mirror. "Edward, are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," I said, inhaling deeply.

Emmett and Jasper got out of the jeep first. Emmett then came around to my door and opened it for me, pulling the chains out first before helping me to stand.

Before moving out of my way, Emmett gripped my shoulders, but his eyes couldn't quite meet mine. "I love you, bro," he said gruffly. "I know it's weird for me to say it, but I just…" he continued, before trailing off.

There was no need because I could hear everything in his thoughts.

"Me too," I said, a lump in my throat. "Take care of Bella if I don't come back," I said.

Emmett squeezed my shoulder in response before stepping aside and picking up the chain connected to my right arm.

The daylight was fading, bathing the land in a ghostly light that washed out the colors of everything around us. Walking through the forest, manacled by chains, I slowed us down. I kept tripping over stumps and vines, following blindly behind Emmet and Jasper. I suddenly wished for the days of my vampire speed, but then this thought caused a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I realized that I probably would have my wish very soon.

After what felt like hours, we broke through the trees into the clearing. At our entrance onto the field, the song of the wolves began, first one and then another and another. A chorus of howls pitched in the minor key, with long-drawn out cries of defiance against the coming night. At the sound, the monster in me fought to the surface. The song was a call to all predators that the hunt was about to begin.

I fell to my knees, clutching my head as I fought for control, but the monster was so strong. It growled and snarled in my head, demanding that I let the predator inside of me out.

"Edward, listen to me. You need to keep it together," Jasper whispered to me. A wave of calm tried to settle on me, but the monster fought it. "You need to find Carlisle. Bella needs Carlisle," Jasper continued.

I held on to Bella's name because even though it stirred the blood lust of the monster inside of me. The part of me that was still Edward needed to protect her.

"I'm okay," I rasped, pulling myself to my feet.

Then, I heard them coming.

"They're almost here," I murmured.

This time I let Jasper envelope me in calmness.

Once I felt fully in control, I opened my mind to the thoughts of those approaching

…_..…Oscar…full moon… …..spread out …..check for others …take him quickly … …kill… danger …Edward… threat… kill them all if they do….. anger…. Oscar… kill them all if they do… take him quickly… bloodsuckers…full MOON… …_

"There are too many of them. I can't concentrate," I said, clutching my head.

"I'll help," Jasper said. "Just remember what I taught you. Isolate each voice and block out the others."

I felt Jasper's calming effect strengthen enough that I was able to use his techniques.

When they reached the clearing, three men stepped from the forest, but the growls from the forest showed that there were also four wolves in the trees.

"Where's Edward?" one of them demanded, stepping forward.

"I'm here," I said, stepping out from behind Emmett and Jasper.

He looked briefly at me and then my chains before speaking. "Come with us."

"Not until you give us the names of the people who've been bitten," Emmett demanded.

I opened my mind to the man in front of me, but I realized quickly that he didn't have the answer. He was just one of the cavalry.

I shut him out and turned to the man next to him. Sweat was running down the man's neck, his eyes shifting left and right, looking for any attack.

…_..…I don't want to die…Why did Oscar choose me?… ….. Are these the same ones that killed my sister?….._

Sensing that I wasn't getting the answers I needed, Jasper tried again.

"Oscar told Carlisle that there were four bitten people and that he would give us those names for Edward," Jasper said.

…_. four people?... I only know of one….. that guy in Forks…_

An image popped into my head of the vice principal at Forks High. He was much older than when Bella and I had gone to school, but it was undeniably him.

…_..Oscar promised that he wouldn't hurt him… then the screaming….. Oh, God, the screaming….._

"Well, we don't have him yet, do we?" the last man said and at the sound of his voice, growling erupted from the forest.

"What? Are you worried that you won't have enough time to get back to your secret hideaway?" Emmett mocked.

At Emmett's words, I received an image from the nervous man- a cement foundation in the center of a field, a three point jagged mountain in the background, the sound of running water.

"Give him to us and then we'll give you the names," the last man growled. "We don't have time to dick around with you."

I turned to the final man and tried to worm my way into his thoughts. However, he glared back at me as if he knew what I was doing.

Then a thought came through.

… _Try all you want motherfucker. I'm on to you….._

I tried to push my way into his thoughts again, but he was strong.

"Jace," the nervous man spoke. "We don't have time. The full moon is coming."

At his words, the man whose thoughts I was trying to fight my way into, whipped towards him and punched him in the face.

With a cry the man fell to the ground, clutching his cheek.

"Shut up!" he shouted, pointing at the cringing man on the ground. Then, he swung back towards us.

"Time's up. Give him to us or we'll let you all die tonight," he threatened.

"No deal. Names first. Then Edward," Emmett growled.

However, before, I could hear the man's retort, the man on the ground's thoughts pushed through my wall.

… _You fucker!… You think you can hit me?….. You think you're better than me?... I have the same information that you all have….. I know their names… I could tell them now and then you wouldn't have a leg to stand on… the principal…. that poor high school girl on the reservation….. Paul's mother… You're no better than me…._

I listened for anything else, but it seemed like it was all that he knew. I tried one more time to pry my way into the third man's mind, but it was no use.

"I'm ready," I said, turning to Jasper and putting my hand on his shoulder.

"It's time," I said out loud and then in a whisper, I spoke quickly. "Forks High vice principal, a reservation high school girl, Paul's mother, a cement foundation in the middle of a clearing with a jagged three peaked mountain and a river nearby."

It was all I knew and I didn't have any more time to waste. It was almost dark.

I turned back towards the three men and stepped forward.

Jasper and Emmett came with me and cautiously dropped my chains to the ground a few feet from the men who stepped forward and picked them up.

"Tell Bella that I love her," I said.

"Tell Bella that I love her," the third man said in a high pitched mocking voice.

He grabbed the right side of my chain and yanked me towards the forest.

I had done what I could to help the people on the reservation. Now, I had to hope that I had enough in me to reach Carlisle. As I entered the trees, however, a thought suddenly jabbed through my wall.

…_.. Edward!... Sue's one of them!... She's the fourth!…_

The suddenness of the thought nearly brought me to my knees before I realized what the person—Paul- had just told me.

I whipped back towards the clearing and lunged towards it.

"Jasper!" I roared, yanking ferociously at my chains.

"Sue's one of them! She's the fourth!"

The three men tackled me to the ground as the wolves surrounding the clearing surged out of the trees towards my brothers.

I roared and thrashed as the image of Bella trapped in a small room with her father and a monster flashed through my brain.

The monster clawed its way out of my subconscious and this time I let it free.


	32. The Hunt

**A:N/ Hi everyone. I've resubmitted this chapter because I felt (as well as some readers) that I needed to expand on the reasons behind Bella's decisions. I hope you enjoy it! Sorry if you've received notices for this chapter three times. Something crazy is happening to the website.**

**BELLA**

With everything in place, the first tendrils of panic started to pass from person to person as we gathered at the community centre. However, with Edward gone I was numb. I had no fear because I had nothing left to lose.

We were divided into groups in order for all of us to fit into the safe houses that were available on the reservation. Sue, Charlie and I would be staying in Jake's panic room that he'd built under his living room floor.

The crowd was quiet. Even when people started to leave for their safe houses, hugging each other like they weren't going to see each other again, they remained eerily silent. I stood with Charlie a little separate from everyone as we waited for Sue who was rushing back and forth between groups still trying to organize everyone before dark.

Once all of the groups had dispersed and Seth, Alice, and Jake were on patrol, she came over to join us. Sweat was pouring down her face and I could tell that she was practically humming with tension.

"Come with me, Bella. I'd like to get some food and blankets together for our room," she said, grabbing my arm and tugging it a little forcefully.

"Okay. No problem," I said soothingly. I didn't like seeing the usually composed Sue, so anxious.

"I'll come too," Charlie said.

"It's okay, Charlie. Just go to the safe house. We'll be along shortly. There isn't much to carry."

"I'm going to stick with you," he said, firmly.

Sue looked uncertain for a moment before nodding and heading into the community centre.

Since Edward's departure, Charlie had stuck with me wherever I went. There was still time before we needed to get to our safe houses. According to Sam, werewolves didn't change until it was fully dark. However, Charlie probably thought that I would make a run for it in order to find Edward.

The community centre was empty of people and little was left on the tables which had been laid out with emergency supplies for the safe houses. But Sue ushered us towards the kitchen where she said that she'd kept our supplies separate.

I followed her first and she handed me some blankets and a couple of flashlights. It would get cold in the safe room because it was underground.

The galley kitchen was too tight to fit everyone, so I left allowing Charlie to go in.

While I waited for them to get the rest of the supplies, I walked over to the door, looking out at the overcast sky. Everything was painted in grey color, a signal that night was fast approaching.

I became lost in thought, wondering whether Edward would return to me like he promised.

The muffled thump from the kitchen almost escaped my notice.

"Sue? Dad? Is everything okay?" I asked.

No response.

"Dad?" I asked again, almost in a whisper.

No response.

I dropped everything and ran towards the kitchen with my father the only thought in my head.

I flung open the swinging door of the kitchen and saw Charlie sprawled on the floor. I fell to my knees and crawled towards him. I let out a small scream as I saw blood seeping from his head onto the floor.

"He's alive," a voice said from above me.

My eyes darted towards the voice and saw that it was Sue looming over us.

"What happened?" I gasped.

Sue didn't respond.

"Give me a cloth. I need to stop the bleeding!" I shouted.

When there was no movement, suddenly something dawned on me.

Charlie had been alone in the kitchen with her.

"Sue?" I gasped, looking up at her again.

"Charlie was one of my best friends…" she said hollowly. "But everything's different now..."

"You did this?" I yelled, reaching up to grab the dish towel in order to staunch the blood.

"No," she snarled. "You did this! You and your vampire pets! My husband…. My children… none of this would have happened if you hadn't brought them into our lives!"

She grabbed my jacket and yanked me to my feet. I fought her trying to reach my father.

I twisted in her grasp to make eye contact. "Sue! Please! We can't let him die!" I begged.

She didn't let go of my jacket, instead she shook me forcefully.

"My husband died! My daughter can't have children!" she raged.

She got a better hold on my jacket and started to drag me out of the kitchen.

"SUE! NO! It's not our fault! Especially not Charlie! You can't let him die!"

Sue looked at me, but I didn't see any sign of caring in her eyes.

"You brought all of this on us. Now, you're going to fix it. Oscar didn't have to bite me in order to get me to help. I have no problem giving you to him if it means that he can help us. I can't tell you how excited he was when I told him about your new health complications," she said, her eyes cold and hard.

I began to fight her in earnest, but she was much stronger than me.

"Please! Please don't! Dad needs me!" I shouted, trying to yank myself out of her grasp, but she had the hood of my jacket so twisted that it was just like being in a noose.

"You're coming with me Bella and you better pray that I get you to Oscar before I change. I'm not sure what will happen to me, but I doubt that it would end well for you."

I saw madness in Sue's eyes now which told me that there was no possibility of reasoning with her.

She dragged me closer to the door where I saw that her truck was waiting pulled up as close to the door as possible.

"Where are you taking me?" I whimpered. "I—"

Something slammed against my head causing everything to go black.

I was jogged awake by the lurching of the truck over a rut in the road. For a moment, I was lost in a rush of pain and confusion before the memory of danger came flooding back to me.

My eyes flew open and I stared around me frantically: truck, trees blurring past, Sue driving.

"I was afraid that I had killed you…" she said without looking at me.

I brought my hand to my head and felt a huge lump just above my temple.

"Sue, what are you doing?" I practically whispered.

"I'm sorry, Bella. But you brought this on yourself. You were warned over and over again that the bloodsuckers were monsters and that they would only bring destruction. However, instead of the destruction coming to you, it came to those who protected you. I won't let you destroy more lives."

Suddenly, the truck lurched to the side as a look of pain crossed her face.

I heard her mutter under her breath, "Not much further… not much further…"

Her words suddenly came back to me.

_"He didn't need to bite me in order for me to comply. I would have done it anyway gladly…"_

I flung myself away from her, my back slamming painfully against the handle of the door.

"You're going to change. You're a werewolf…" I gasped.

"Yes. And you better pray that I get you to Oscar before I change. I don't think that you'd live through it."

My eyes flashed towards the window and I saw the western horizon still glowed with the last golden light of day, but the sky had darkened to a deep indigo. I even thought that I could see the full moon peaking through the clouds, an ominous warning.

My eyes snapped back to Sue when she gasped in pain.

Her back was hunched and her hands clenched and unclenched the steering wheel spasmodically. Then, her head flew back and she cried out in pain.

The truck slowed down, but didn't stop as she fought the pain.

I'm going to die in this truck if I don't get out.

This thought spurred me to action. I looked out the window and saw that on my side there was an embankment leading down into the woods. My heart began to thunder so hard in my chest that I thought that it would choke me. I knew that what I was about to do might kill me, but I decided that I'd rather die fighting for my life than trapped like a scared rabbit in a cage.

I grabbed the handle of the door and flung it open throwing myself out of the vehicle.

I hit the slope on my back, luckily on a thick cushion of weeds and bracken. While the truck hadn't seemed to be moving quickly I did a backward somersault from the momentum, feet and legs snapping over my head. Sliding down the embankment at a terrifying speed, my jacket and shirt pulled up around my neck almost choking me. I flung my hands out to either side of me trying frantically to grab at anything that would slow me down. I flipped onto my stomach, as I yanked out tuft after tuft of grass in an attempt to stop.

At the top of the embankment, I saw Sue's face staring down at me, but she was receding at an alarming speed. Then, I slammed against something with agonizing force. It was a downed tree, and while it broke my fall, I thought for a moment that my legs were broken. The tree had stopped me about halfway down. Below, the bushes were thicker, hiding any number of things that could have broken more than just my legs.

There was a shriek from above me. I looked up the embankment and saw Sue come flying over the top, her teeth bared in rage. She landed on both feet and skidded down the embankment towards me.

I tried to scramble to my feet, but I couldn't get any traction in the grass and mud. I started to become more and more panicked as she flew towards me faster and faster. I was still frantically searching for footing when Sue was almost within reaching distance.

However, suddenly, she was thrown backwards her back arched in pain. Her hands flew up as if she was grasping at the night sky, her body contorting at unnatural angles.

She was changing and I was only a few feet away from her.

Instead of trying to get to my feet, I crawled over the trunk of the tree and slid the rest of the way down the slope on my backside.

When I reached the bottom I lurched to my feet and fought my way through the undergrowth, hearing a horrifying mewling sound behind me.

I didn't know where I was. All I knew was that I had to get as far away from those sounds as possible.

There was no thought going through my head beyond survival.

The undergrowth surrounding me pulled at me, slowing my movements. I sobbed as I ripped my way through the brambles desperate for escape.

When the bushes suddenly gave way, I stumbled forward and fell to my knees. At the shocking feeling of cold water soaking my hands and knees, everything snapped into focus. I gasped for air as I scanned my surroundings. I was on the shore of a river. However, that was all I could see in either direction—no signs of civilization. Not having the time to think about the best direction, I went on instinct and ran to the right.

I tried to walk through the water, but the slippery rocks under foot slowed my movement, so instead I ran along the water's edge and prayed that I was heading back towards the reservation and not deeper into the wilderness.

I could still hear the choked screams of Sue behind me which meant that she was still in the throes of the change. I knew that I would be in trouble when the screaming stopped.

I was running by the light of the full moon now and I knew that meant that soon there might be at least four werewolves running through the forest.

I was very conscious of the blood running down my leg from my collision with the tree and the gasping breaths coming from my lungs. Any predator in the area would be drawn to the scent of my blood and the sounds I was making. This brought me up short. I had to start thinking and not just acting. I was being hunted and I couldn't just behave like prey.

I stepped back into the water and sunk to my knees letting the current carry me forward. I knew that my scent would be masked by the water, hopefully throwing off any predators that were zeroing in on me.

I tried to slow down my breathing, hoping to cut down on any sound that I was making. I barely moved instead going limp in order to let the swiftly moving current carry me more easily. I saw a log to my left floating along as well and I grabbed a hold of it so that I could keep my head above the water.

The screaming had stopped behind me and now the night was quiet. Unnaturally quiet.

Anyone who spent any time in the woods knew it was anything but silent- the constant rush of wind and rustling of trees, the sounds of predators and the cries of prey.

True silence meant only one thing—trouble.

As if it heard my thoughts, the moon slid behind cloud cover and the forest went pitch black. I felt my heart start to pound in fear. The only thing I had now was my hearing and everything was just so quiet. My breathing sounded loud in my ears, so I found myself holding my breath, straining to hear any sound.

A twig cracked to my left and then the brush crackled to my right. I frantically scanned the darkness, praying that I'd see movement if any predator was nearby.

When no sounds followed, I slowly began to relax. A pleasant numbness was starting to set in. The water was freezing, soothing all my aches and pains. I started to feel tired, so tired that all I wanted to do was shut my eyes and rest.

Suddenly my head submerged in the icy water. I sputtered as I gasped for air, flailing frantically in order to get my balance.

Once I got my footing, I was terrified by the noise that I'd just made. It echoed in the silence of the forest and I was sure that someone or something had heard it.

Even though it was a risk, I knew I couldn't stay in the water anymore because the hypothermia would kill me.

I listened for a while longer, waiting for the tell-tale signs of approach, but things remained silent. The moon had also appeared, lighting the edges of the forest.

I cautiously let go of the log I'd been holding and slipped deeper into the water, swimming towards the shore. I waited at the water's edge, listening for anything but still there was no movement, no sound beyond the rushing water and wind through the trees.

When I was sure that nothing was nearby, I got to my feet and dashed into the woods finding shelter in the shadows of the trees. The moonlight casted slices of light as it filtered through the trees, so I was forced to run from shadow to shadow.

I continued to run in the same direction as the water had been carrying me. My father said that a person had to keep their head when they were lost in the wilderness. Letting fear take control was a sure fire way of getting oneself killed. But I wasn't just lost. I was being hunted. And the fear was strangling me.

A howl reverberated through the night.

Another answered.

I started to run faster through the trees with no thought as to the direction I was heading in or the amount of noise I was making. Only one thought kept running through my head.

A werewolf was nearby and it had just called another.

However, I skidded to a stop when in the distance I caught sight of a huge hunched shape between two trees. I squinted at it, trying to decide whether it was an animal or just a bush.

Just as I was starting to think that my eyes were playing tricks on me, it moved.

I spun on my heel and ran blindly in the opposite direction.

I thought that I could hear sounds from all around me and it was taking everything in me not to scream in terror.

Everything went black again as the moon was blocked by cloud cover.

I was forced to slow down again, my hands held out in front of me to stop myself from running into a tree. My breathing became short and fast.

Another howl. This time closer.

Another one sounded behind me.

I started to run faster even though I couldn't see. I didn't try to protect myself from the snap of branches, terror making me numb to the pain.

When the moon suddenly broke through, I realized that I was in a clearing. I frantically looked for the closest cover, but all I saw was a huge downed tree. I dashed towards it, my feet nearly slipping out from under me in my desperation. I wormed my way within the foliage of its branches trying to block myself from view. I was hunched as far into my hiding place as possible when I heard the snapping and cracking of movement in the forest. Shivering, I curled up as small as possible and tried to keep myself perfectly still.

What broke through the trees into the clearing was the most terrifying creature that I'd ever seen.

It was humped like a bear, sloping to small hind quarters with blue black fur that shone in the moonlight. It had the wide skull of a bear, but the pointed ears of a wolf. Its face was a terrifying mixture of human and animal. Its face maintained its human shape, but with a muzzle not quite as long as a wolf or bear protruding from it. Its movements were also very human. As it scanned the clearing, it stood up on its hind legs.

Standing still, it lifted up its head to the breeze sniffing. Its muzzle wrinkled back and white foam seeped through its teeth. It then let out a shattering roar that turned into a howl.

I cringed back into my hiding place which caused a branch behind me to crack loudly as it gave way.

The creature whirled towards me and its pale blue eyes locked with mine. They were filled with a horrible intelligence, horrible awareness. And after looking at me for a moment, it grinned.

I shrieked in terror and tried to thrash my way farther into the branches, but suddenly the monster was burrowing into the tree towards me, one paw groping for me. I screamed and pounded at the branches trying to break them in order to get out, but they held firm. The werewolf snarled and grinned at the same time. It was close enough so I could see the yellowing corneas of its eyes and smell blood on its breath.

It reached out its paw and tried to grab my leg. The feeling of its scratchy fur and claws trailing across my skin caused me to kick out. However, I realized my mistake too late when I only served to push my leg into its grasp.

It latched on to my injured leg and dragged me out of my hiding place. I fought—kicking, clawing, writhing, trying to get a hold of anything that would keep me from being dragged away, but within seconds I was out in the open.

I continued to kick and fight and felt a moment of exhilaration as it lost its grip on me as my sneaker came off. I fought to stand up and for a moment I thought that I would be able to escape, but then my wind was cut off as my jacket was jerked back against my windpipe. I made a gargling, choking sound, but then my jacket tore away, ripping at the seams.

I twisted, letting the werewolf tear my jacket away completely.

I spun, feet scrabbling against the dirt and bolted for the trees.

I was no more than a few feet away before it had me again. Yanking me off my feet, it tossed me like a toy against a tree. I fell in a heap at its base, feeling like my head had been cracked wide open. I pulled myself to my feet, but I couldn't see anything but bright bursts of light firing in front of my eyes.

Again, the monster threw me to the ground, pinning me. The impact with the ground made me bite my cheek, filling my mouth with blood. I tried screaming, but it only came out as a gurgle as blood frothed at my mouth.

At the sight and scent of my blood the creature on top of me became frantic, lunging towards my face, a look of hunger replacing the human awareness in its eyes. To feed. That was all that mattered to this monster. I was nothing to it but food.

One of two things was going to happen, either it was going to kill me or infect me. This caused a panic pour out of me that I`d never felt before.

It was heavier than I was, and despite my fighting, gravity only pulled the creature closer to me. I couldn't find traction with my feet in order to buck the werewolf off. I started to beg and sob even though I knew it wouldn't do any good. I was going to die in a matter of minutes.

Then, suddenly the creature on top of me was gone.

I gasped for air, not thinking just feeling relief that death was not looking me in the face.

However, I shrieked when a large wolf appeared over me.

It gave a whoosh of relief, seeing my eyes open and sprinted away.

I lay for a moment stunned but when growls and roars erupted around me I scrambled to my feet.

It was Jacob. I would know him anywhere. I'd seen him so many times in wolf form that his rust colored fur was as familiar to me as his eyes.

And now he was facing off with the werewolf who I was sure now was Oscar.

Jake started a delicate dance of lunging within Oscar's reach to bite at his flank in order to knock him to the ground, but Oscar was agile enough that he was able to spin away from most of the attacks. They seemed evenly matched both causing the same amount of damage. Each would get a hold of the other, biting and tearing, but neither was able to get a death hold.

However, a howl from the forest edge caused Jake's head to snap towards the sound. Seeing his distraction, Oscar lunged for him, grabbing fistfuls of Jake's fur and yanking him towards his open mouth.

"NO!" I screamed.

I ran forward, knowing that I would die, but unwilling to stand back and watch Jake get killed.

Jake twisted and writhed in Oscar's grasp, trying to brace his paws against Oscar's body. He was able to shove himself away, but not before Oscar was able to tear a chunk of flesh from his shoulder.

As they were scrambling to get to their feet, I saw a huge shape lumber out of the trees.

Another werewolf.

"Oh God!" I moaned.

Before I was able to reach them, instead of returning to the battle, Jake ran towards me. Thinking that he was going to try to escape, I shuddered with relief.

However, when he reached me, he shoved me, jerking his head towards the forest.

"No Jake!" I cried.

This time, after looking over his shoulder at the approaching werewolves, he growled and shoved me hard.

With his back to the werewolves, Oscar was able to reach him.

Grabbing a hold of his foreleg, he yanked Jake towards him, trying to pin him to the ground in order to get the death hold. Again, Jake fought his way free only to run at me again instead of protecting himself.

The other werewolf had almost reached us and I saw that Jake was not about to protect himself while I was there. With a whine, he shoved me hard, gesturing frantically towards the forest with his head.

"Okay, Jake," I whimpered and then ran towards the forest.

Once I was under the safety of the trees, I turned to watch the fight, feeling helpless.

Oscar returned to the fight with Jake, but the other werewolf stared after me.

Instead of joining the fight, it started towards me.

Jake broke off his fight with Oscar and leaped in front of the other werewolf with a roar, trying to prevent it from following me.

Distracted, the werewolf turned towards Jake with a snarl.

I huddled in the trees, sobbing because I didn't know what to do.

"Pssst… Bella…"

I spun around and saw a man crouching under a tree only a few feet away but still shrouded in shadow. I could barely see him, but then he inched forward just enough so that I could see his face.

He beckoned me towards him in a welcoming gesture, but the smile on his face was just a little too wide, showing a few too many teeth, turning his smile into something more predatory.

"Who are you?" I whimpered in fear.

Crawling a little further out of the trees, he pressed his index finger against his lips.

"Ah… ah… ah… don't make any noise... We don't want to distract your shifter, do we? One miss-step could cost him his life. Plus, with just one word I can have my own shifters here in a split second. So, let's just be quiet, shall we?" He said in almost a sing-song voice.

I froze. The image of Jake fighting for his life in the midst of a mass of shifters and werewolves made my stomach heave. I had to protect him.

I glanced towards the fight, only to see the two werewolves closing in on him.

When I heard rustling, I snapped my gaze back to the man.

"Please don't hurt him. He's only trying to protect me. I'll do anything… What do you want from me?" I asked quietly.

"Well, that's better... Do you want to see Dr. Cullen and his wife?" he said with a grin. "I heard that you're quite close with them."

I froze at his words.

_Carlisle and Esme?_

"What do you mean?" I stuttered.

"Well, as you probably know they've been Oscar's guests. From them, we learned a little about you. You're Edward's mate, right?"

"Yes..." I responded in barely a whisper.

"How would you like the opportunity to help Dr. Cullen and your mate in the process? And just maybe your little shifter pet as well?"

I knew what he was talking about. Sue had mentioned it. She told me that the changes that were happening to me at a cellular level excited Oscar.

I looked back towards Jake again when I heard a roar from one of the werewolves. Jake was on its back, burrowing his face in its neck trying to get a death hold. However, again he was shaken off.

Maybe I could use myself as a bargaining chip.

"They're not far from here..." the man said, calling my attention back to him.

I looked back at Jacob who was now moving around in a circle as the werewolves closed in on him.

"If I come, will you send someone to stop Oscar? Let him know that I'll help," I begged.

"I'll try. He's a little hard to communicate at this stage," he said.

I didn't know what to do. I knew that Jake would only get himself killed trying to protect me if I tried to help.

I couldn't help him on my own.

Would Carlisle and Esme be able to help? Would they know how to reach the others?


	33. Blood lust and Savagery

**A/N: Hi folks. Sorry for the wait. This chapter was particularly hard to write because it's imagery is really brutal. Let me know what you think.**

* * *

**JAKE**

_Seth? How's everything on your front?_

_All clear. _

_Brady? What about you?_

_All's quiet. Everyone's locked down. _

_Okay. Let me know if there is any change._

After touching base with the guys, I paced restlessly at my post. Brady was to stay near the centre of the reservation, making sure that the people in the safe houses were undisturbed. Seth was posted near the main entrance so he could monitor the main road. I was on guard with Alice near the back entrance which bordered on the forest.

I didn't want to be there. I wanted to be hunting Oscar. I understood that Sam wanted a senior member of the pack on the reservation, but why me? Quil or Embry would have done just as well. I wanted to be the one to kill Oscar.

I continued this way for a while. Doing my rounds and brooding about it. I knew this was important, but I was just filled with a tension that I wanted to release.

_Jake! Mom knows who the infected people are!_

Seth's voice was like an explosion in my head, causing me to freeze in my tracks.

_Seth, what are you talking about? _

_One guy in town, Forks high vice principal, and two people on the rez. A high school girl, Janice, and Paul's mom. What do we do Jake?_

I waited a moment for Sam's input, but when I was greeted with only silence I realized that he was probably in his human form. So, I quickly came up with a plan.

_You and Brady go to Janice's safe house. Get her to the school and lock her in the boiler room. I'll get Paul's mom. Alice can get the guy in town._

_Jake… they're too young._

Embry's intrusion angered me.

_Do you have any other ideas? It'll take too long for one of you to get back here._

_Brady? Get over there now!_

_But Jake, I don't know which safe house she's in. Sue made all the plans._

I looked up at the sky, worrying that it would be too late by the time we found her.

_Go to Sam's house. Let's pray that Emily knows where she is._

I turned back to my human form.

"Alice!"

She appeared at my side before I had even finished her name.

"I have some of the names of the infected. Two people are here on the reservation, but one is in town. I need to control things here. You'll have to go to Forks and get the high school vice principal."

Without a word, she was gone.

I turned myself back into a wolf and started running towards Paul's parents' home. They had a safe room in their basement.

The moment I changed, Brady's voice filled my head.

_Jake! Charlie's hurt! I found him wandering outside of the community centre! He's not making a whole lot of sense. He just keeps asking for Bella._

_What? Where is she, Brady?_

_I don't know. I'm heading over to your place now. _

_No! Go to Sam's and find out about Janice. Seth, go to Paul's parents' home. Take her to the school even if she resists. I'll talk to Charlie._

I looked up at the sky and saw that the moon was beginning to show itself in the sky. I prayed that Seth and Brady would get to them in time or I was sending them to be slaughtered.

At that thought, I broke into a run.

I found Charlie sitting on the front steps of the community centre, blood dripping from his hand which was cupped to the side of his head.

I didn't change back to my human form until I'd reached Charlie, but he didn't even notice.

"Charlie, what happened?"

"Bella... she... Bella... She wanted Bella..."

His eyes were unfocused and his words were slurred

"Who Charlie? Who are you talking about?"

"Sue… gathering our supplies… asked her… she had a strange look on her face… what was wrong… slammed my head against the counter..."

As he talked, his eyes continued to have that unfocused look and one of his pupils seemed bigger than the other. However, his words became clearer.

"Jacob. Where's my daughter? Does Sue have her? Does she?"

"I don't know Charlie, but I'm going to find her. It's almost dark and you're bleeding a lot. I want you to go to the Sam's house. It's just two houses down. One of the women there is a nurse, so she'll know how to patch you up."

It showed how injured he was that he didn't even argue. I worried that I should be getting him to a hospital, but there wasn't time. The werewolves would be out soon.

"Charlie... maybe I should—"

"Go find my daughter, Jake. I'll be fine," he responded before stumbling towards Sam's.

I watched him for a moment, not sure what I should do. But after looking up at the sky, I changed back to wolf form and ran in the direction of the road. It was the last place that Seth saw his mother.

The minute I shifted I realized my mistake. The pack instantly heard my thoughts.

_No Jake. It's NOT my mom!_

The agony in Seth's voice was hard to stomach.

_I'm sorry, Seth, but I have to make sure._

_If you touch my mom, I'll kill you!_

Leah's shout was like a punch to the stomach.

_Jacob, find her and report back to me before you do anything. Do you understand?_

_Yes, Sam. I get it._

_I'm going too! _

_No, Leah._

_You can't stop me! She's my mother!_

_Leah, I'm giving you an ORDER! You're not going!_

The voice of the alpha rang through my head as I'm sure it did Leah's.

_I'll hate you forever for this Sam. _

And then she was gone.

The silence amongst the pack was deafening.

It was like Leah ceased to exist… just like Paul.

_LEAH!_

The anguish in Seth's thoughts was agony as we felt his pain from losing his sister. If what we thought about Sue was true, Seth had just lost his entire family- Harry, Sue, Leah.

The pack's thoughts were a swirl of sadness and worry for Seth. Seth's thoughts ran through all that he had lost and all that he would lose if he left with Leah. He thought about his mother and how she had betrayed everyone including him.

_We're here for you, Seth. We're your family too. We love you and need you. _

All of the pack's thoughts coalesced into this message as they worried that Seth would break from the pack.

_You won't hurt my mom, will you Jake?_

It was a plea that was hard to ignore. However, I knew that he could hear in my thoughts that I was prepared to do what was necessary even though Sue was like a mother to all of us.

_I won't if I can help it, Seth. But we need to know what she's been up to and whether she really is infected. You said that you saw her at the front gate. Was Bella with her?_

_Bella? That's what all this is about? _

The anger in him was awful. Seth had always been so innocently happy that it was hard to hear the bitterness in his thoughts.

_I'm not just looking for Bella, Seth. But it's clear that all of this centers around Edward and Bella. Oscar, the werewolves, the shifters, it's all connected. _

My words didn't comfort him.

_I wish that we'd never heard of Bella. I wish that she'd stayed in Phoenix with her mother. _

This same thought circulated amongst the pack, but then Sam started t step in.

However, before he could say anything, more chaos ensued.

_Sam! Emily says that she's at William Oberman's house, but that's on the other side of the reservation! What do I do?_

There was a stunned silence at Brady's question. By the time she was found it was going to be too late.

_I'm going back! _

Quil's fear for Claire was beyond panicked.

_Brady, go there now. Quil will be there as soon as he can. We don't know how long it takes a werewolf to change. Hopefully, it will give the others in the safe house time to escape._

It was clear that in Sam's head that there was a real chance that the others at William's were already doomed, but he had to think about the whole tribe, not just those innocent victims.

_Seth? What about Susan? Did she fight you?_

_No, but she's angry. She blames the Cullens and Bella for her son's disappearance. She didn't say it directly but I think that she knew all along that she would turn._

_Okay. Go help Brady, Seth. _

Seth's anger hadn't dissipated, but he followed Sam's order immediately.

_Okay. Jake, get moving. Go to the main road and see if you can follow Sue's truck's tracks. If you can't, follow the main road. There's only one way out of the area. Hopefully, you'll be able to pick up the trail down the road._

_But Sam, I should help Seth and Brady._

I was completely torn. I knew that Sue was a danger to our pack as a whole if she was bitten but my tribe was in danger. I needed to stay and protect them.

_Brady and Seth aren't children anymore. They need to take care of this. Quil will be there soon. We need to catch Sue. She may know more about Oscar's pack and his plans. _

_Okay. I'm on it._

_Watch out for Leah._

This final command from Sam brought back to the forefront everyone's sadness about losing their pack mate, but there was work to be done and we all had to be on our guard.

* * *

I ran and ran feeling desperate every time I caught a glimpse of the full moon high in the night sky. Sue's tire tracks were distinctive, so I found her tracks immediately on the dirt road. However, I began to feel that I might have made a mistake following her tracks. I would be one step behind her the entire way if I didn't try an alternate route to cut her off. However, then in the distance I saw her truck parked haphazardly on the side of the road.

I skidded to a halt when I caught the scent of both Sue and Bella trailing down the embankment into the forest.

My heart stuttered a beat as I followed it down the embankment where the scent of both of their blood permeated the air. That and the smell of werewolf.

The full moon was high in the night sky and I was sure now that Sue had changed.

Seth's cry of anguish echoed in my head.

At the bottom of the embankment the scent of Bella's blood was even stronger. She was bleeding heavily and I became afraid with every turn of the river that I was going to find her collapsed on the shore.

However, suddenly, Bella's scent stopped. I lifted my muzzled to the sky and sniffed the air, but I couldn't smell it in any direction. I looked back at the river and I realized with pride that Bella had realized that she needed to mask her scent and had entered the river so she couldn't be tracked.

But now I was going blind. I could follow Sue's scent, but I would still be ten steps behind them and by the time I caught up with them it would probably be too late.

I growled in frustration because I had no choice and ran even faster after Sue's scent.

Then, a howl echoed through the forest. It wasn't a shifter's howl. It was a werewolf. This howl was then followed by another.

I changed directions and ran towards the sound. I knew that if there were werewolves in this forest that they would be searching for the scent of Bella's blood as well.

When I broke through the brush into the clearing, I saw Bella on the ground with a deformed wolf on top of her.

It was the size of a human, but it was stretched into the shape of a wolf. Its body was stretched in unnatural angles and its fur was patchy enough that I saw it wasn't Sue's face but Oscar's.

Bella's terrified shriek spurred me to action.

Without thinking, I closed the distance and clamped onto Oscar's leg, yanking him off Bella.

_We're coming Jake!_

Sam's thoughts reverberated through my head, but I was acting on instinct now.

I launched myself at Oscar, but in mid air, just as my jaws were about to close on him, I received a shock as he struck out at me. His strike whirled my body in the air, landing me on my back and brought my teeth together with an agonizing clip.

I crawled to my feet too dazed to rush for a moment, but then I heard Bella calling out my name behind me. I turned in her direction, instead of protecting my flank and tried to shove her towards the forest. However, before I could force her to go, I was ripped away as Oscar grabbed a hold of my flank.

Pulling me towards him, I struggled in his grip. But my attention was interrupted when I heard a howl from the forest edge. Another werewolf.

I knew at that moment that I was about to die.

Ripping myself out of Oscar's grip, I dashed to Bella.

Together we didn't stand a chance. I needed to give Bella a diversion or else she'd die right along side of me.

I pushed and shoved her until she ran towards the protection of the forest.

Then the fight truly began. I needed to incapacitate Oscar before the other werewolf reached us. However, Oscar had the advantage of size and his human capability of standing upright.

I prayed that my advantage would be my human brain, but I had no idea how much of the werewolf in front of me was Oscar and how much was the animal acting on instinct.

Every time I breached his guard, Oscar snapped at me like a demon, coming dangerously close to my neck. While I was barely able to rip through his skin, Oscar was attacking my vulnerable areas. My head and shoulders were ripped and slashed, but that was the least of my concerns.

As the second werewolf reached me, it didn't immediately attack. Instead it looked towards Bella's direction. Its jaws dripped saliva as it lifted its muzzle to the air smelling her blood on the breeze. I could see the hunger in its eyes, the desire to kill and feed.

I broke away from Oscar and leaped in front of the second werewolf distracting it from its hunger. It turned towards me and as Oscar yanked me into the air it clamped down on my foreleg and crunched through the bone.

I howled in agony, but was still able to tear myself out of their grips and slammed into the ground.

I staggered limply about, blood flowing from nose and mouth as well as from the multitude of rips and tears to my flesh. My instinct told me to run, but I couldn't. Bella wouldn't stand a chance against two werewolves.

They began to circle me, snarling, ears laid back, watching for the right moment to attack. As I tried to watch for signs of attack, I realized that the second werewolf was Sue. Her eyes looked out of the monster's face, but there was no awareness there. They were the eyes of a predator. I didn't want to hurt her, knowing that she would be human after the full moon. But I knew that if she got a hold of me, she was going to try to kill me. This creature in front of me wasn't Sue anymore.

Every time I tried to break through their circle, they continued to corral me just like predators did before killing their prey.

I started to feel weaker and weaker as pain and blood loss crippled me more and more. The werewolves started to close the circle as they sensed that the hunt was almost over.

I made peace with my death because I knew that Sam and the others wouldn't get to me in time.

The werewolves lunged towards me in unison. Sue grabbed me around the neck while Oscar gripped me around my hindquarters. I felt Sue's teeth burrow into my fur at the ruff of my neck, looking for the death hold as Oscar squeezed. I felt a few of my ribs breaking, but I barely felt it as a used the last of my energy to yank my head free of Sue's jaws.

With a roar that was almost lion like in its ferocity, a shape leaped upon Sue's back yanking her away from me, tearing a good chunk of flesh my flesh with her. I hung limply in Oscar's arms, but was then dropped by him as well.

I lay on the ground for a moment, stunned at what I saw, panting for air that rushed painfully into my lungs again.

At first I couldn't process what I was seeing, a white shape snapping Sue's body back and forth.

Then, my eyes started to register what I was seeing. It appeared to be human. A human smeared with blood with clothes hanging in tatters from his body. Every part of his exposed skin was smeared with blood some of it his and some from others. I almost didn't recognize him because his face was sprayed with blood.

But when I reached his eyes I knew him immediately.

It was Edward.

I couldn't move for a moment, trying to figure out what I was seeing. Was this Edward or was this something else entirely?

As I watched, he wrestled with Sue, not just using his hands and legs, but his teeth as well. The Edward in front of me was not fighting like a human at all. He flung himself on top of Sue time and time again, his teeth sinking into whatever he could get a hold of. He was beyond feral, fighting like a creature in a frenzy of blood lust.

Snapping out of my daze, I suddenly remembered that there were two werewolves. I turned to look for Oscar and I could see that he was just as stunned by what was happening in front of us as I was. It was the first indication that Oscar had retained more of his human mind that I'd originally thought.

As I registered this, Oscar turned towards me and grinned.

I leapt to my feet, ignoring the pain of my broken leg as I saw that he wasn't going to go to his progeny's aid. He was instead backing away, heading in Bella's direction.

I looked once more towards the fight, knowing that I had to follow Oscar. But as I saw what was happening, I couldn't look away. I didn't want Sue to die. However, I knew that only one of them would survive this fight.

Blood frothing at her lips, Sue grabbed a hold of Edward's arm and tore viciously at it. However, Edward was not swayed by this. Instead he used her grip on his arm to his advantage, pulling her closer towards his mouth.

Fang clashed fang, and lips were cut and bleeding, but it was clear that Edward was winning. Sue ripped herself away one last time. She quivered and bristled as she staggered back and forth, snarling with horrible menace, as though to frighten off impending death.

Then, Edward sprang in and out one last time, but while he was in, his shoulder met Sue's shoulder knocking her to the ground. As she fell, Edward landed on her, biting into the ruff of her neck.

I howled in despair as the woman who had been almost a mother to me lay still on the ground. The thoughts of my pack echoed my own, but Sam's choked thoughts broke through.

_Jake. Don't lose focus. You can't let Oscar get away!_

But it was too difficult. The sight of her lying limp on the ground was more than I could bear. And Seth's sobbing drowned out all other thoughts.

_JAKE! GET YOURSELF TOGETHER! DON'T LET OSCAR ESCAPE OR MORE PEOPLE WILL DIE!_

Sam's shouted command forced me to take in my surroundings. I looked in Oscar's direction and saw that he was gone. With one final look at Sue's body, I ran after him.

His trail was easy to find. His blood still permeated the air, indicating that he wasn't very far ahead of me. I pushed away my grief, knowing that I had to keep my wits in order to kill Oscar. He had caused all of this. Sue had been a mother to us all, but he had corrupted her in mind and body.

This thought spurred me to run faster, but suddenly the bushes in front of me were ripped away as a form blocked my path.

Thinking that it was Oscar, I roared in exultation and threw myself at him. But midst jump, I saw the bloody face of Edward in front of me. I pulled my head away a moment before I attempted to rip his head away from his body which flung me backwards into a tree.

I was relieved for a moment that I was able to stop myself before my attack was completed.

However, when I looked into his eyes, I realized that I may have made a mistake.

Standing in front of me, his chest heaving, I saw that Edward was no longer Edward. In his eyes, I saw only blood lust and savagery. There was no recognition. No differentiation between the look he had given Sue and the one that he was giving me now.

In front of me stood a cold-blooded vampire.

And this vampire was going to try to kill me.


	34. The Cell

**Bella **

Oscar's compound wasn't what I expected. When I first saw it, it looked like nothing more than the foundation of a house, half overgrown by weeds and brush. But when we got closer, I saw that there was what looked like a cellar door cleverly hidden in the undergrowth. The man pushed the brush aside, and opened the door before ushering me down a steep set of stairs, through a set of reinforced steel doors, and into a long corridor. It was a shock coming from the wilderness into such pristine surroundings. Humming with florescent lights overhead, it reminded me of a hospital, sterile and bright, but foreboding. Hospitals scared me. Every room you passed had its own story of illness, injury and death. This place felt just the same. Looking at my surroundings, Oscar's experimentation on Edward became real. I'd known about it, but being here made it a reality and the horror of it flooded me.

The man took me into a room that looked a lot like an operating room. I recoiled, afraid of what lay in that room. But in it stood a middle-aged woman who looked at me with an expectant look on her face. When I fearfully met her eyes, she walked towards me with hands outstretched.

"My dear Bella, I am so sorry for everything that's happened to you," she said soothingly as she took my hands in sympathy.

She wasn't what I'd expected. I'd expected someone like Oscar to greet me, not a motherly looking woman with bright friendly eyes who smiled gently at me as she tugged me into the room.

"Thank you so much for coming. I know that it must have taken a great leap of faith to join us. My name is Dr. Clara Young and I'm going to do everything I can to help you," she said with a comforting smile.

"He said that I'd be able to see Carlisle and Esme," I responded, resisting her pleasantries.

"Yes, yes, the vampires. You'll see them soon enough. We just need to treat your injuries first. From the look of your clothes, I can tell that you're bleeding quite heavily," she said soothingly but I'd noticed how her eyes had flared at the mention of Carlisle and Esme.

"Climb up here on the gurney and let's see what we can do," she continued, turning away from me to gather a few supplies that she'd laid out on a table next to the bed.

I looked from her to the gurney, not sure what I should do. But after looking down at the dark stain spreading across my shirt, I realized that I really had no choice. If I didn't let her take care of my injuries, I was going to faint from blood loss and then she'd be able to do anything she wanted to me anyway.

Climbing onto the gurney, I perched on the edge waiting to jump down at any sign of danger.

"Okay, let's take a look at your stitches," she said, tugging on my shirt in order to remove it.

The man who had brought me to this place stepped forward with a leer on his face.

As he got closer, I grabbed a hold of the woman's hands refusing to let her pull my shirt up.

Her brow furrowed in confusion before she noticed the man who had edged towards me.

"Will! Leave! Now!" she ordered.

With a loud sigh, he stormed out of the room.

From that brief little exchange, the pecking order was clear-this woman was in charge.

Once he'd closed the door, she pushed my hands out of the way and pulled my shirt off to examine the damage to my stitches.

Looking down at myself, I felt faint.

My stomach and chest were covered in dirt from my fall down the embankment and under the dirt I saw that three of my stitches were torn and bleeding.

"We're going to have to clean you up first. Sorry, but this is going to hurt a fair bit," she said.

Using a wash cloth, she washed away the dirt and then took another cloth and soaked it in what looked like some kind of antiseptic. The minute it touched my skin, I gasped in pain feeling like I'd been set on fire.

With a _tsk_, she pulled the cloth away before reapplying it and dabbing carefully. Once she was satisfied that it was clean, she reached for a syringe and filled it full of a liquid. Turning back to me, she moved it towards my side.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, grabbing her hand.

"Bella, I need to freeze the skin surrounding the wound before I stitch it," she reasoned.

"No! No, needles," I said, terrified by what she might inject me with.

"Bella, Bella, Bella, you wouldn't be able to handle it without freezing and you'll bleed to death if I don't," she said with an undertone of condescension, "Take your pick."

Hesitantly, I let go of her hands because I knew that I had no other choice.

Deftly, she froze the area and quickly stitched up my side before tending to my other wounds.

I was covered with scratches and cuts from my fight for survival in the woods. As she cleaned each one, I watched fearfully for any bite marks. While I'd been fighting for my life, Oscar could have bitten me numerous times. At this thought, my fear for Jake came back to the forefront. He had taken my place in the fight for survival against Oscar and another werewolf.

"The guy who brought me here said that he would save my friend. Is he going to follow through with his promise?" I asked carefully.

"We've sent some of our group to retrieve your shifter friend. Hopefully, he'll still be alive when they get there," she responded not looking up from the gash in my leg.

She paused for a moment before speaking again.

"Our friend Sue told us about the health complications that you've been having recently. Have you had any side effects from your contaminated blood?"

"What do you mean contaminated? What do you know?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh, we know a lot. We know that you let that monstrosity contaminate you. I don't understand how you could allow such a creature to touch your body. You did, didn't you? You had intercourse with him. How else could his genetic material enter your body?" she said with a shudder. "No matter what Oscar says, he is nothing more than a petri dish of viruses."

I tried to sit up, but with one hand she pushed me back down. She was remarkably strong for a middle-aged woman.

"I'm not finished," she stated coldly.

I watched as she stitched up my leg and finished her examination. Once she'd decided that she'd taken care of all my injuries, she went to the sink and washed up.

"Now, can I see Carlisle and Esme?" I asked.

"Just a few more minutes. I need to take a few samples, just a little blood, skin, and saliva. It won't take long," she said, turning back to me.

"No," I said firmly.

"Oh, come now Bella. What did you expect when you agreed to come here with Will? Did you think that we'd just let you see your vampires? You can't get something for nothing. Besides, we may be able to help you. We've been studying your 'petri dish' a lot longer than your friend Dr. Cullen," she said with a smirk.

"Stop calling him that," I said, but there was no strength to my words.

She ignored me. Instead she pressed a button on the wall and called Will back into the room.

He must have been standing guard just outside of the room because he was next to my bed before I had the chance to jump off the gurney.

"Hold Bella down while I take some samples. I thought that she would be agreeable, but it seems that she's not as smart as I'd given her credit for."

At her words, I struggled to get off the gurney but Will was faster. With one hand he pushed down on my shoulders. My human strength was no match for his shifter powers, so no matter how much I thrashed I couldn't shake him.

"Hold her arm!" she ordered.

Will gripped my arm tightly and held it down against the bed.

Dr. Young swabbed my arm and took blood and skin samples, seemingly unfazed by my desperate struggles. Then, she pried my mouth open in order to swab the inside of my cheek.

"Take her to one of the holding cells," she ordered.

She turned back to her equipment without even a glance at me.

"I want to see Carlisle!" I demanded.

"All in good time, my dear," she said, never looking up from her tray of samples.

* * *

I was put into a small cell, waiting on the mercy of Oscar's pack.

I knew that my decision to go with the shifter Will had probably been a mistake, but I hadn't known what else to do. He would have taken me by force if I'd made the choice not to go with him and I'd hoped that perhaps if I went willingly they'd let me see Carlisle and Esme.

Without a clock in the room, I had no idea how long I waited. At first I paced the room looking for any way of escape. I checked the door, the air vent in the wall, but everything seemed air-tight.

So, eventually with nothing else to do I laid down on the small bed tucked into the corner of the room.

Staring up at the ceiling, I found myself counting the small dots on the tile. But soon my eyes became heavy as the blood loss and trauma of my attack started to take over. Without even being aware of it, I dropped off into a restless sleep.

_I ran aimlessly down so many corridors and turned so many corners that I had absolutely no idea where I was going. _

_FREAK! WHY ARE WE DYING AND NOT YOU?_

_The words spray painted on the wall of my hospital room haunted me, spurring me to run faster._

"_Please! Someone! Anyone! Help me!" I yelled, but all I heard was the sound of my own voice echoing back. No one was going to help me. I was alone. It was all up to me._

_I dashed around a corner and pulled to a stop which nearly toppled me to the ground._

_A man stood in the middle of the hall. He was hunched forward, so I couldn't see his face, but his body was tilted at an unnatural angle with his hands swinging loosely at his sides. I was about to ask him if he was okay, when suddenly he started shambling towards me, his movements spastic._

_A word popped into my head... zombie..._

_Involuntarily a word escaped my lips, "… please..."_

_At the sound of my voice, the man stopped moving and slowly, so slowly, looked up at me._

_It was Edward, but he wasn't a zombie at all, but some other kind of creature. I held my breath as he examined me with his head tilted to the side. He stared at me for a moment longer before letting out a hiss as he got ready to pounce._

_That was all it took. I spun on my heel and ran, ran as fast as I could. _

_I didn't know how long I ran for, but when I finally had to stop for breath. I looked behind me fearfully only to see that I was alone. Then, a sound in front of me spun me back around._

_It was the sound of someone coughing, a harsh sound that continued unabated. I edged closer to what appeared to be a lab. I needed to know if anyone else was alive. _

_Through the open door of the lab, I saw a man dressed in a white trench coat hunched over his desk. He looked unconscious with blood dripping from his nose and mouth to where it pooled on the table. His breath rattled in and out of his lungs with a lengthening pause between each breath. I started to back away, but at the sound of my shoes shuffling on the tile floor, the man's eyes opened. Staring at me, barely able to focus on my face, he gasped out a few words._

_"Why… are… you alive?" he panted. "What is… different…" He took a gurgling breath and blood frothed at the corner of his mouth. "… about you?"_

_The dream suddenly shifted to the room at the clinic on the reservation. Jake was sitting next to me holding my hand as the doctor began to interrogate me._

_"I need to know whether you've been using any experimental drugs."_

"_Some viruses attack a cell, it inserts a part of its own DNA near the cell growth genes, causing cell division. The group of changed cells that are formed from the first cell dividing all have the same virus and they quickly begin to multiply. However, your changed cells are nothing that I've ever seen before. And what is even more extraordinary is that in your case, it seems like your immune system is constantly adapting to fight these changed cells. As I looked at your blood through the microscope, it appeared almost as if your cells and the changed ones were fighting!" _

_Then, the dream morphed again to a memory from years ago. Edward and I were sitting at a restaurant in Port Angeles. I could remember that moment in vivid detail because it was the first time that Edward had opened up to me about hearing everyone's thoughts but mine._

"_The only guess I have is that maybe your mind doesn't work the same way the rest of theirs do. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I'm only getting FM," he said with a smile._

_I'd been so worried that I was a freak, which made Edward laugh._

"_I hear voices in my mind and you're worried that you're the freak."_

I bolted awake, with Edward's laugh still in my head. I couldn't catch my breath as the dream still held on to me. Once the dream had faded away, I realized that my brain had stitched together memories and nightmares, making it into a story that made a kind of sense.

In my nightmare, I'd been the only one to survive the killer flu. In the real world, the doctor said that my own body was able to defend itself from the infiltration of Edward's virus. Then, strangely I remembered a conversation that I'd had with Edward years ago in which he'd told me that I was different from everyone else because he couldn't hear my thoughts.

_Was it all true? Did my body have defenses against attacks? _

I shook my head, dispelling the ridiculous thoughts.

I still got sick. I caught colds, broke bones...Whatever was happening to me had more to do with Edward than me. I was just grasping at anything that could help prevent the impending disaster.

* * *

It felt like I'd been alone forever in the tiny cell, afraid to fall asleep but too tired to continue pacing the room.

It was so quiet that at first I wasn't even sure I'd heard anything, but then I heard a whispery sort of sound coming from the vent.

As I carefully crept towards it, the sound became clearer. It was the sound of someone moving around in the cell next to mine.

I froze. I was afraid to say anything for fear that it was an enemy, but then common sense hit me. If this person was an enemy, why would they put him or her in a cell?

"Hello?" I whispered, hoping that whoever it was was listening.

The person stopped moving at my voice, but did not respond.

"Hello? Is there someone there?" I whispered.

No response.

"Can you hear me?" I whispered again although I knew that they did.

"Yes," a man's voice whispered back after a spell of silence.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"It's me, Paul…" he said.

I flinched away from the grate.

"You! Wha—What are you doing here?" I gasped.

Silence.

"You would be happier not knowing…" he eventually answered.

"What do you mean I would be happier not knowing?" I said, panic leaching into my voice.

He didn't respond.

"Paul! Tell me…" I pleaded.

Finally he spoke.

"I'm a prisoner, just like you because I helped your friends..." he muttered.

I tried to process what he was saying. "What do you mean 'you helped my friends'?"

"I helped your bloodsuckers. I didn't have a choice," he said.

"The Cullens! Who? Why?"

"I hate them, but Oscar and his pack are putting the people I care about in danger. My mother..." he trailed off in a choked voice.

"I don't understand," I responded.

"Neither do I..." he said and would speak no more

* * *

I paced the cell until I couldn't take it any longer. I walked over to the air vent and slumped to the ground next to it.

"Paul?"

No response.

"Paul, why are you locked up?"

I heard him let out a deep sigh before speaking.

"Because Oscar thinks I'm weak, that I can't stick with the mission, so I'm not useful anymore," he muttered.

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

After taking a deep breath, he began to speak.

"I used to be all about the hurt, revenge for Rach—. I wanted to kill all the bloodsuckers, especially the Cullens because they were responsible for bringing Victoria to our territory. So, when Oscar came to the reservation, he gave me with an outlet. We would kill whatever bloodsuckers we found without mercy, without regret. It felt good to be able to let the rage out. But when I would rejoin the pack, they couldn't hide their horror at what I'd done. Oscar told me that they were just weak and I started to believe him. Sam had been the one to always make exceptions for the Cullens even though our tribe were turning into werewolves in order to balance the danger. So, Oscar gave the pack one last chance to step up. He told me that we should gather my pack and together we would kill the Cullens and the Denalis in Alaska. But when I talked to Sam about the plan, he refused and tried to command me to stay. It was the final straw. I was so angry that Sam was taking the side of the vampires that I couldn't follow his command any longer and I broke from the pack.

"It was so hard at first. I couldn't handle the quiet in my head, but soon Oscar changed everything. He told me that now that he saw my dedication to the cause, he could bring me in on his secrets. He brought me to this compound and introduced me to his pack. They were all like me. They'd all lost loved ones and wanted revenge. I immediately felt a connection with them that I hadn't felt with my pack for a long time. We've never developed a pack mind because our alpha Oscar isn't a shifter, but it was almost as good for a while. They depended on me and I depended on them."

He paused for a moment and I held my breath afraid that any sound from me would cause him to retreat.

"We hunted for vampires together and felt the rush of the kill together. But Rachel's death haunted me and soon my joy in the kill started to fade. I guess Oscar must have seen me change because suddenly he was interested in including me on his other secrets. One day he took me into one of the wings of the compound that we'd been told not to enter. He took me into a control room full of television screens each looking down on a cell. Some of them were empty, but others had vampires in them. The majority of them were running wildly around their tiny cells pounding on walls and clawing at the door, but my eyes focused on the one cell where the vampire wasn't freaking out."

My heart stuttered as he paused again. I knew that he was going to tell me that this vampire was Edward.

"I stepped closer to the screen wanting to know what was different about this one. When I saw that it was Edward, I couldn't stop myself from lunging towards the screen. I wanted to tear him apart with my bare hands."

Paul growled deep in his throat.

"Oscar just laughed at my reaction and told me that I couldn't kill Edward because he had plans for him. But if I wanted, I could help him with those plans.

"I was only too happy to help at first. I enjoyed causing him pain. But then one day Oscar increased the level of torture. He brought a human man onto the compound. It took three of my new pack members to drag him down the stairs and then tie him up, but once he was inside Oscar wanted me alone to bring him to the locked ward where Edward was located. I didn't know what he wanted to do with the man but I started to become nervous. We took him into a cell across from Edward's. Oscar ordered me to pin the man down on the bed. As the stranger begged for his life, Oscar rolled up his sleeve and proceeded to bite him over and over again."

I shuddered in horror at the image.

"I was so shocked by what he was doing, I couldn't move.

"When he finished, Oscar pushed me out the door and left the man tied up in the cell. When he saw the look in my eyes, he shrugged and said, 'Don't feel sorry for him. He was a murderer. He murdered his girlfriend in cold blood and was proud of it. He doesn't deserve to live. And I think he is just the thing to break Edward.

"He starved Edward until he became just as crazy as the other vampires, clawing at walls and throwing himself against the door. At this point Oscar said that Edward was ready and without telling me what he was doing he was out the door and into the murderer's cell. Grabbing the man under the arms, he lugged him fighting to Edward's cell. Oscar jerked his chin towards the door and even though I knew it was wrong, Oscar was my alpha so I opened the door anyway. With a laugh, Oscar shoved the murderer into the cell and slammed the door behind him before dashing away to go back into the control room to watch the monitors.

"With growing horror, I watched Edward attempt to avoid the man. They stayed on opposite sides of the room, cringing when the other moved, but I could see Edward weakening. Oscar thought it was funny that I couldn't tear myself away from the monitors. He thought that I was enjoying the show, but I was becoming more and more disturbed. What was happening inside that room had nothing to do with revenge; it was torture for torture's sake. I knew that Edward would be dying of thirst as well as being bombarded by the murderer's thoughts and feelings which I'm sure were filled with his evil thoughts," he said, his voice trailing off into almost a whisper.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I'd heard from Jasper what had happened to Edward, but he had kept the story simple. I'd heard that Edward had been tortured and eventually forced to drink human blood tainted with Oscar's own werewolf virus, but now hearing it in such vivid detail was more than I could handle.

I wanted to cover my ears, but I knew that I had to keep listening. What he was about to say, could change everything.

As if sensing my emotions, Paul stopped talking altogether.

I cleared my throat and in a quavering voice asked him to continue.

"Please tell me the rest Paul. I need to hear it."

"Edward finally couldn't handle it anymore and he drained the man. It was hard to watch because he sobbed the entire time he was doing it... It wasn't long after that that Edward began to change. We didn't know what he was changing into at first, but soon it became clear that he was turning into a human. It was at this point that Oscar started injecting him with stuff. I had no problem hurting him as a vampire, but once he became human it was just wrong. So... I helped Edward escape...

"After one of Oscar's torture sessions, I carried Edward's unconscious body out into the woods and left him there. I couldn't take him to the reservation, but I got him far enough away that I thought he find his own way there... I guess I was wrong..."

We both sat in silence for a while. I was so overwhelmed by what he'd just told me that my mind was a blank. So I stared up at the ceiling and counted the dots.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he said in a whisper. "I never thought that they'd take you. I'm not sure what Oscar has planned, but I overhead Dr. Young talking. She thinks that you might have some immunity to supernatural viruses. They're planning on injecting you with the killer flu and possibly werewolf saliva. They might have alrea-"

Just at that moment there was a loud bang from the other room.

I heard scraping and shuffling, then, grunts of pain as a struggle broke out in the other room. Paul snarled and fought like a wild animal before there was a thud and he abruptly fell silent. I scrambled away from the vent, terrified that they were going to come for me next. However, no one ever did.

Instead I heard the sound of scraping trailing out of the room and echoing down the corridor.

I crawled into a corner of the room where I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and wished that Edward was with here with me.

* * *

**EDWARD**

_I rush through the trees. I hear them hunting, howls echoing in the pitch-black night. Between the rocks and through the trees I hear them hunting, their killing growls, their snarling breath. __  
_

_Slipping through the trees, I become the hunter. I run sure-footed, the forest my playground. _

_In a clearing, there before me, my prey appears. A tremble runs through me as the hunter's fire ignites. I circle closer. Keeping them in my sight, I circle closer. They are distracted, they bite at their prey, growling and grunting in the throes of a killing frenzy. Now I'm behind them. So close now. I smell blood. So close now._

Quickly I move, tearing at one of the beasts, searching for the kill.

_The others turn towards me, but I am strong. I am the hunter. I can kill with the slightest twitch of my hand, the gnashing of my teeth. _

_One falls at my feet too easily. No challenge in an easy kill. I need the chase, but they have run away in fear._

_I taste the air and give chase. The hunter's fire returns in anticipation._

_Through the trees I slip, cutting off my prey's escape. _

_The prey is surprised and tumbles to the ground at my feet. My spirit thrills in anticipation._

_I can taste its blood on the wind._

_I edge forward, watching my prey for any reaction. _

_It stays still. I stop, confused. Why is it not afraid?_

_I edge closer._

_There is a buzzing in my head. I shake it, trying to get rid of the sound. _

_The buzzing is louder with every breath. I growl at the unseen intruder but it doesn't stop. The buzzing attacks and I spin around snarling at the attacker._

…_. Edward… …. Jake … remember… stop… find… …_

_I stumble. The sounds are familiar, but again I try to shake it out of my head. My prey awaits._

_I growl and shift closer and now I feel a spark of its fear._

…_.Stop…. ….friend… help… …remember… who you are …_

_I lunge and the prey is not fast enough. I grab its foreleg and shake and shake and shake. The blood starts to flow again and the hunter's fire burns brightly inside of me. _

_It breaks from my grip and scrambles away, but it's injured. I can taste the impending kill. _

…_.STOP…. ….FRIEND… NOT A MONSTER… …REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE… REMEMBER BELLA…_

_I yelp in pain and fall back, the sound reverberating in my head. How does it attack so fiercely? I tilt my head to the side, watching my prey for its next attack. How does it make the loud sound?_

_However, my prey stays still, not attacking. So I attack. I need to make the kill before the loud sound hurts me again._

…_.. YOU ARE NOT A MONSTER… THINK ABOUT BELLA…THERE'S NO TIME….. _

_I bite into the ruff of the animal's neck preparing to squeeze. I need to stop the loudness. _

…_OSCAR HAS BELLA…..EDWARD SNAP OUT OF IT…_

_Suddenly the loudness changes. Now I see things in front of my eyes._

_I see a female. She is familiar. _

_I see her mouth moving, but I don't understand. _

_I try to understand._

_I feel my prey try to move as I watch the pictures, but I bury my teeth deeper into its ruff and it stops moving._

_I see the female laughing as she chases me in the water. She isn't prey. She is something else._

… _EDWARD… BELLA NEEDS YOU….. SHE IS YOUR MATE….. OSCAR IS TRYING TO KILL HER…._

_I see the female on the ground with one of my prey on top of her. It is searching for the killing grip._

_I growl. _

_She is mine._

_Letting go of my prey, I bound backwards and away. _

_I sniff the air and catch her scent. Her blood on the wind. The scent of my mate. _

_With one last snarl at my prey, I give chase. _


	35. Closing In

**Previously on A Brave New World**

_During the fight with Victoria and the newborns, Edward disappears and is presumed dead. Three years later, he appears in Vancouver as a human with no memory. Along with his return to humanity, the Spanish influenza which nearly killed him has returned infecting anyone who comes in contact with him. The Cullens and Bella discover his location and break him out of the hospital, worried that someone might discover that he is other than human. In order to avoid the authorities, the Cullens, Bella, and Jacob take him to a lake deep in the woods where they can't be found. During their time there, Edward and Bella fall back in love even without his memories. He even learns to trust the Cullens again. However, their happiness is short-lived as Edward begins to show signs of changing and everyone is concerned that he is losing his humanity. Along with these changes he starts to remember his missing time. He remembers a monster named Oscar who tortured him, injecting him with a multitude of things. To everyone's shock, Jacob has met Oscar before. He is a werewolf, the kind from horror movies and he wants Edward back. Dangers start to close in on them. The influenza is spreading at a rapid pace and after making love with Edward, Bella's body is going through changes. Carisle and Esme have been taken by Oscar and his pack, and Oscar has bitten people close to the Cullens and the Quileute, but will only tell them when Edward is turned over to them. Edward who is feeling the change more and more, volunteers to go through with Oscar's plan if it means saving Bella. While Edward is being passed on to Oscar's pack, he listens to the thoughts of Oscar's pack members. He learns about three of the victims that Oscar has bitten and also some clues to the location of Oscar's compound. Then, just as he's being taken away by the Oscar's pack, he hears Paul's thoughts which tell him that Sue is one of the bitten victims. When Edward hears that Sue is one of the bitten, he loses all control and lets the monster out in fear for Bella. Meanwhile, Bella is kidnapped by Sue and is being taken to Oscar's compound in the forest. Bella escapes, but by that time the bitten people have changed under the full moon. She is hunted down by Oscar and Sue in their werewolf forms. On the verge of being killed or bitten by Oscar, Jacob appears and pushes Bella out of harm's way. He takes on Oscar and Sue, but he is outnumbered. Just as he's about to be killed, Edward appears and attacks Sue. Viciously he attacks, looking more like an animal than human. Once he has defeated Sue, he turns on Jacob. Jacob worries that the Edward that they all know is gone for good and that he will kill him. So, he uses the one thing that may awaken Edward's humanity, Bella. Sending his thoughts to Edward, he tries to remind him of his love for Bella. At the image of Bella in his head, Edward shifts his focus to finding his mate. _

* * *

**EMMETT**

I watched helplessly as the three mutts dragged my brother into the forest. I wasn't angry, I felt hollow. I felt like one by one I was losing my family—Esme, Carlisle, and now Edward.

As we'd driven closer and closer to the meeting place with Oscar's pack, I felt the anger that had been brewing inside of me for days begin to deaden, as I tried to accept that I had to let Edward leave with the mutts.

When we got out of the car, I took a hold of Edward's shoulder and told him how much he meant to me. It just didn't feel right to say nothing. We'd lost him once already, so I was damned sure I wasn't going to let him go without telling him.

Once they'd completely disappeared into the forest, I felt Jasper watching me for any signs that I was going to sink into a zombie-like state again.

Three years ago when I'd found out about Edward's disappearance, I'd been so angry. I ripped the forest apart looking for him, but when I didn't find anything I felt so damn helpless. There were no signs of a kidnapping, just a single lock of singed bronze hair that told me something that I didn't want to accept.

Once I'd come to terms with the fact that Edward was truly dead, I sunk into a deep depression. I didn't want to eat, to think, I just wanted to lose myself.

Losing my brother had changed me and I knew it terrified Rosalie, but I couldn't pull myself out of that sense of helplessness. I'd always felt like I was the protector of the family, so the reality devastated me.

Sometimes, I would wander away from the family, letting myself get drawn in by things that had always hypnotized me as a newborn. As a human, I'd always loved the outdoors. I'd spend days and sometimes weeks in the forests and mountains living off only what I could hunt and gather. People might not know it, but I have a quiet side. Yeah, I can joke and play better than the rest of them, but there's something to be said for the peacefulness of nature. That's why I'd been in the woods the day I'd been attacked by the bear. The day that Carlisle changed me.

As a newborn, I found myself bouncing between extremes. One minute I was enjoying my new found strength, jumping from tree to tree, toppling them with a jab of a fist, but then I would have moments when I'd get lost in the nature around me. I would spend hours focused on simple things—the grainy texture of the bark on a tree, the starburst pattern of the veins of an oak leaf, the intricate patterns of interlaced threads of a spider web. But mostly, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the way the sunlight or moonlight filtering through the leaves of trees cut swatches of light across the ground, expanding and retracting with every gust of wind. I guess it was my very own version of a lava lamp.

Yeah, I know. I'm a poet.

"Emmett…" Jasper said cautiously.

At his voice, I yanked myself back to reality.

With a deep breath, I forced myself to think positively. I hadn't lost Edward, Carlisle, Esme, or Bella. I just had to fight for them.

I tried to get back the feeling of anger and frustration that had slowly dissipated in order to get my edge back.

"What do we do-" I began, but was cut off by a desperate cry from Edward that echoed through the forest.

"SUE'S ONE OF THEM! SHE'S THE FOURTH!"

At Edward's shout, four snarling wolves poured out of the woods towards us.

"Jasper, take the two on the left," I snarled.

I crouched low before throwing myself at the larger one using my fists and fangs to tackle it to the ground.

It snapped and kicked at me with its hind legs trying to get out from under me, but I used my right forearm to push it into the ground while I punched and clawed at it with my left.

I heard the sounds of growling and snarling from the forest in Edward's direction. But after a moment of concern for Edward, I was pulled back into the fight as the shifter under me got enough leverage to throw me off.

I rolled to my feet and launched myself at it again only to feel the other shifter land on my back and try to bite into my neck. Letting out a roar, I threw myself backwards, falling to the ground with the shifter under me. As my full weight fell on top of it, I heard a satisfyingly loud crunch. It struggled briefly letting out a strangled whimper and then went limp.

I had no time to gloat because the other had leapt on top of me as I lay on the ground and began to savage my shoulder as it dug its claws into my chest and stomach. I put both hands against its chest and with full force launched it into the air, but not before it was able to pull a good chunk of my shoulder with it.

As it landed agilely on its feet, it sounded like it let out a guttural chuckle.

I growled at its cockiness and threw myself at it again. But at the last second the shifter twisted away, landing a good swipe at my side. As I felt it tear the skin, the excruciating pain caused me to stumble. Most people think that vampires don't feel pain, but when we are faced with a supernatural opponent we can definitely feel the pain of our injuries.

It was at this moment that I felt a twinge of worry. This shifter wasn't going to be as easily beat as I'd originally thought. Up until that very moment, I'd never actually considered that another creature could best me. Cocky? Yes. But with my strength and my brothers at my side, I'd always felt invincible.

But I didn't let the pain or worry sway me. Instead, I spun around just in time to grab its tail, yanking it back towards me. But again the shifter twisted its body around enough that it was able to grab a hold of my leg, yanking it out from under me.

I fell to the ground, but I did not let go of the shifter, trying to get it in a bear hug. I knew that my strength was my advantage, so I hoped that I'd be able to get it in a tight enough grip that I could crush it before it was able to bite into anything vital.

But again, the beast twisted at the last minute so that when I pulled it into my arms its jaws were facing me. It lunged down at me, fastening its jaws in the crook of my neck.

For the first time in a very long time I felt fear. I had a flash of Rosalie's face as she heard the news from Jasper that I was dead. I saw her crumple to the ground in despair and it nearly broke me.

Angrily, I squeezed as hard as I could, but it did nothing to loosen the shifter's jaws which were tearing at me.

I growled and thrashed, trying to dislodge it, but the shifter's teeth only sunk deeper and deeper.

Then, suddenly, the shifter was ripped away from me, its blood spraying my face and chest.

I looked up in shock as I pressed my hand to the missing flesh in my neck.

Jasper looked down at me with wide eyes, the body of the shifter still clutched in his arms. I climbed to my feet, not able to look away from him. I could see in his eyes that he was just as shaken by my close call as I was.

My shock and fear quickly turned to rage at the thought that I'd nearly let one of these mutts destroy me.

"I'm going to kill them all," I growled.

"We need to keep our heads," Jasper said in a firm voice, but I knew that he was just as angry as I was.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me that pulled me out of my lust for revenge.

"Where's Edward?" I blurted out.

We both sprang into action, dashing in the direction that the mutts had dragged him.

What we saw shocked us.

Two of the shifters that had taken Edward lay sprawled on the ground, each with their throats ripped out.

I lifted my head, smelling the air expecting to smell one of Sam's pack. However, the only other scent was Edward's. But the human scent that I'd come to associate with him was faint. Now it was something else.

As we took off in the direction that Edward was headed, I wondered what we'd find when we caught up with him.

* * *

As we were running, Rosalie suddenly appeared at my side.

Jasper filled her in with the information that Edward had given him about the location of Oscar's compound and the victims that he'd bitten and asked her to get in touch with Sam.

She hauled out her phone and called Alice, quickly giving her the run down. We knew that Sam would be in wolf form, so we had to rely on Seth to give him the information.

It had begun to rain again, going from a light misting to a downpour, which made me worry that it would eradicate any chance of finding a trail.

We spread out trying to cover more ground before the rain destroyed it.

After about a half an hour, I pulled up short as the stench of what I could only think of as werewolf hit me.

"Jasper. I've found something," I bellowed.

There was so much anger and adrenaline coursing through my veins that I couldn't stop myself from slamming my fist against the nearest tree, toppling it to the ground.

Rosalie was next to me in a matter of seconds and then Jasper.

"Is that one of the shifters blood?" she asked as she sniffed the air.

"No. It's not shifter. It must be werewolf. Their stench is even worse than a shifter. Can you tell who it is Jazz? Is it Oscar?" I growled.

"I can't tell. I guess once a person's transformed into a werewolf their body chemistry changes. It could be Oscar, but there's just no way to tell," Jasper explained.

He crouched low to the ground, inhaling more deeply.

"But there are actually two trails here. Edward's heads off in that direction and the werewolf in the opposite," he said, pointing East and West.

"Let's go before the trail gets cold," I demanded impatiently.

But Jasper held up his hand, disappearing into the woods only to return a second later.

"I've caught Bella's scent straight ahead along with another werewolf. I think that the werewolves are trying to corral her."

Without another word, he spun around and flew back into the trees with Rosalie and I close behind, praying that we'd reach Bella before it was too late.

When we burst into a clearing, a multitude of scents hit me.

Edward. Bella. Two werewolves. Jacob. Shifters.

"What happened here?" Rosalie gasped.

I looked around, wondering myself- trampled grass, upturned earth, and dark splotches of blood soaking into the ground.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an indentation in a patch of overgrown ferns.

Thinking it was someone or something lying in wait, I spun towards it with a snarl.

It was the humped shape of what I could only guess of as a werewolf. I'd never seen one before, but it wasn't a shifter. And from what I could see, underneath the fur its body was human-like.

I ran towards it growling, hoping that it was still alive so that I could kill it.

But just as I was about to reach the werewolf, a shifter jumped in front of me growling.

I was just about to attack when Jasper shouted out.

"Stop Emmett! It's Leah!"

I pulled up short and looked at Leah who aggressively positioned herself between me and what I could only assume was her werewolf mother.

Leah growled again, taking a step closer to me.

"What are you up to, mutt?" I snarled, readying myself for an attack.

She snarled back at me and I saw her coiling for an attack.

But before she got the chance, Sam, Embry, and two other shifters surrounded us.

Sam stepped forward, letting out a series of guttural barks, but instead of backing down Leah seemed to get more agitated.

"We don't have time for this," Jasper snarled in frustration.

Almost as if he understood us, the lead wolf, Sam, jerked his head towards us, telling us to go.

"Let them fight it out themselves. We need to find Edward and Bella," I said.

We circled around the impending battle to continue the hunt.

* * *

**SAM**

_Be careful boys. She's not just warning us to stay back. I think she might be out for blood. _

Embry's comment didn't surprise me. I'd always known that Leah's loyalty to the pack was more out of necessity than anything else. Once I'd imprinted on Emily, Leah tried to focus all of her love and devotion on Sue and Seth but I knew that if she'd had the choice she would have struck out on her own. And now Sue had been taken away from her.

This was serious, but I was also concerned by the fact that I hadn't heard Jacob's thoughts for the last couple of hours. I prayed that this meant that he was in human form and not dead.

_Embry, we have to get control of Leah. You circle in behind her while I—_

_Sam! I know where Oscar's compound is. Do you remember Jake's lake? The compound is in that area. _Seth suddenly shouted in my head.

An image appeared in my head of Jake's secluded lake. It had been his own personal oasis.

We'd hunted in the area, looking for new game in the mountains. The area with the three peaked mountain wasn't exactly close to Jake's lake, but it was in the area.

_Jesus! We can't spread ourselves too thin! _I snarled in frustration.

I thought for a moment, trying to come up with a strategy.

I thought about Jake, but I knew my focus had to be on taking out the threat to my people which was Oscar and his pack.

_Seth, I need you to contact the Cullens. Let them know where the compound is. Tell them that there help would be greatly appreciated._

_Already on it! Alice is going to let them know. Then, she's going to join them. Also, she wanted me to tell you that Edward and Bella are out there in the woods. And Edward has changed. He killed three shifters, so be on your guard._

I was relieved that Seth had missed our thoughts about Leah and his mother. I didn't know what he would do if he knew what was happening.

Once I was sure that Seth had shifted back to human form, I talked to Collin.

_Okay. Collin, stay here. Keep your distance from Leah, but watch where she goes. We'll have to deal with her later._

* * *

**EMMETT**

"His compound is where?" I shouted. "How the hell did we not see it? We were all over that area!"

But before the words were even out of my mouth, I knew how it had happened. We'd always stayed near the campsite when we hunted. We'd been too afraid to leave Bella and Edward alone. Over three years ago we'd left Edward and Bella so that we could fight Victoria and her pack of newborns and in the process we lost Edward. We knew that as humans, they were even more vulnerable, so we all vowed that the two of them would never be out of our sight or at least hearing distance.

"So, do we follow Edward's trail, Bella's trail or take down Oscar's compound so that he has nothing to return to?" Rosalie asked.

I was torn. I wanted to be the one to protect Edward and Bella, but I also knew that strategically we had to take care of the compound and its inhabitants.

"I'll go after Edward and Bella. They're trails seem to be heading in the same direction, east. This may mean that they're heading to the compound as well. Since we know where the approximate location of the compound, the two of you should stop following a trail and head on a more direct route there. Maybe you can get there ahead of anyone. Alice has already left the reservation, so she'll meet up with me soon," Jasper responded.

"What about the two werewolves?" I asked, worriedly.

"Don't worry. I'll wait for Alice before engaging them unless Edward or Bella are in imminent danger. My plan is to protect the two of them, not destroy the enemy. At least not now," he said, menacingly.

I let out a long breath in frustration.

If no one dealt with Oscar's cronies at his compound, then all of us would still be in danger. Sam, Embry, and Jared couldn't take them on alone.

With a grunt of anger, I jerked my head in a nod and dashed into the woods with my mate at my side.

* * *

**SAM**

_Do we have a game plan for once we find it, Sam?_ Embry asked.

_We'll first do a little reconnaissance. We need to know what we're up against. Then, we wait. We need reinforcements or we won't make it out alive, _I responded.

Moving slowly, we searched the area thoroughly, knowing that it must have been well-hidden for us to never have seen it on our hunting trips.

We almost missed it during our search because it was hidden behind a thicket and only a little bit of the wall was above ground. Circling the area, I looked for any weaknesses, but because it was mostly buried in the ground it looked practically impregnable. The doors into it were like those of a storm cellar which would lead down a set of stairs into the ground.

_What do we do now, Sam? We won't have the element of surprise if there is only one entrance. And they must have surveillance of this area. Why else would they put it in a wide open field? _Jared commented.

_We need to get closer_, I said. _We'll circle around again and approach it from the east where that patch of ferns and overturned tree almost reaches it._

It was a risk because the ferns weren't very thick. Exposed to the sun after the tree next to it had collapsed, the leaves were wilted and brittle. We would have to be extra careful so that we didn't cause too much rustling.

Leading the way through the ferns, the three of us inched forward on our bellies, but stopped just close enough that we could get an unobstructed view.

Then, I smelt it. Werewolf.

_Jesus, what is that horrible smell?_ _Do you smell that? _Embry thought.

When Oscar had been around the reservation, I had made sure that the pack had kept their distance during the full moon. I hadn't been able to control Paul, but I tried as best as I could to protect the rest of my pack.

However, during one of their excursions I followed Oscar and smelled the stench of werewolf when Oscar changed.

_It's werewolf… Can you tell where it's coming from?_ I asked, scanning the field for any movement.

_It smells like it's coming from the building, but I can't see it. Aren't werewolves pretty big?_ Jared asked.

_Don't you remember hearing Paul's thoughts? When Oscar changed, he was still the same size as he was as a human. So, if a werewolf is around here, shouldn't we be able to see it._ Embry asked.

I had no answer for them, so instead we decided to stay where we were and see if the werewolf appeared.

_I also smell Paul. Can you guys smell him?_ Jared thought sadly.

I had smelled him earlier, but I had not said anything because I knew my pack would notice eventually. It was hard to accept that Paul had joined our enemies.

_Yeah… I can't believe that he betrayed us. He was like a brother to me…_ Embry responded.

_We need to keep our head in the game. Paul doesn't matter now. We need to locate that werewolf and look for any way to get into that compound._ I told them both.

We stayed there for a really long time, as still as we could, waiting for something to happen.

When we heard the commotion in the woods, I tensed.

A shifter stumbled from the trees covered in blood, and with his arm hanging limply at his side.

He was cursing a blue streak and clutching the side of his neck where the blood seemed to be pumping out of him. When he got closer to the compound, we heard a loud growling from what seemed to be the compound.

"Shut the fuck up!" he yelled in the direction of the building. But the growling only intensified.

Before getting to the building, he walked over to a rock covered in moss. Hearing a click, I realized that it wasn't a rock at all, but a concealed box. He pulled out what looked like a long hooked crowbar before shutting it. Keeping his distance from the door, he used the bar to hook onto the handle. Yanking it open quickly, he picked up the crowbar like a weapon.

I whipped my eyes back to the door, just in time to see a huge creature climb out of it.

It was a werewolf, but not Oscar. I would know his scent.

The monster was connected to a heavy silver chain that tethered him to the building. Snapping and growling at the man, it stood up and lunged at him with arms oustretched.

_Jesus. If we'd gone in guns blazing, we would have come face to face with that thing._ Embry said, voicing our thoughts.

_Oscar chained one of his own kind like a guard dog…_ Jared gasped.

The man clearly knew the length of the werewolf's reach because he didn't seemed concerned. He stepped back towards hidden box and opened another, which looked a lot like a cooler. He yanked out what looked like a slab of beef and chucked it at the werewolf, drawing him away from the door.

_That's not going to work, is it?_ Embry said. _It's not a dog._

But the werewolf did follow the meat, yanking it to its mouth and tearing into it viciously.

_That's good to know… _I thought.

Knowing that this creature thought more like an animal than a human could work to our advantage.

While the werewolf was distracted, the man dropped his weapon and dashed past it and down the stairs.

A few moments later, the werewolf was dragged backwards towards the stairs, clawing and howling.

We were just about to move back into the woods to figure out our game plan, when we heard sounds coming from the trees on the other side of the compound.

A man strode out of the woods and straight to the cellar doors only stopping to pick up the crowbar. Gingerly he stepped closer to the doors and using the crowbar, hooked the door and slammed it shut as the werewolf howled in anger.

_There's another entrance…_ I thought with satisfaction.


	36. Extra scene for Closing In

**A/N: Hi everyone. This is an added section to the chapter Closing In. I hope that you enjoy it. I know it's short, but it fits better with Closing In than the next chapter. Don't hate me because it's so short! The next chapter is in progress.  
**

* * *

**EMMETT**

"What do we do if we're outnumbered?" Rosalie asked.

We'd never worried about something like this before, but after my close call with the shifter. I was not as comfortable with going in guns blazing, especially with Rosalie at my side.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, babe," I said.

When we got closer to Jake's lake, I caught the scent of Sam and his pack and then to my surprise and dismay, Jacob and Bella, both of whom were bleeding.

All of their trails seemed to be converging on a clearing, so I crept towards where Sam and the others were located.

Hearing us, Sam and his pack backed away from the clearing and joined us.

Sam and Embry shifted back to their human forms in order to talk to us.

"So, what do we know?" I whispered not wanting our voices to carry to the guards that were probably patrolling the area.

"Well, the building is pretty well fortified. It's almost completely submerged underground with only one entrance on this side and possibly one in the woods. They've also chained a werewolf to the stairs so that anyone who opens the door will come face to face with it."

I rubbed my hand over my face, hoping for better news.

"But I think we can use the fact that there are only two entrances to our advantage. Yes, it will be hard to get in, but it works both ways. If we are able to deal with the werewolves blocking our way, then the people in there will be trapped."

I thought about it for a moment.

_Jake, Bella, Carlisle and Esme. If we could take down Oscar and his shifters in the compound tonight, this nightmare could be over.._.

"Jasper and Alice are following Bella and Edward's trail, so they should be here soon. You should get your buddies here too," I said to Sam.

"The only wild card is Edward. I think he's following Bella. Won't he be showing up here any minute?" Rosalie asked.

I sighed, forgetting all about Edward.

He wasn't human anymore and he killed two shifters on his own. If he showed up here, then we could have problems.

"I'm not sure," I said. "Let's talk to Jasper... But regardless, I think tonight is when we make our stand."


	37. Breaking In

**CARLISLE**

The door to our cell opened after hours of waiting and a short woman dressed in a doctor's white coat walked in, the smell of shifter wafting after her.

"Dr. Cullen? It's a pleasure to meet you. If you would follow me, we have a patient for you," she said without any preamble.

Her dismissive attitude set me on edge.

"Who might you be?" I asked. "And where's Oscar? He's the one that had the plans for us."

"My name's Dr. Young. And Oscar is indisposed right now," she said with a scowl.

"Well, before I jump through any hoops for you, I'd like to have some answers. Oscar wanted to collaborate on some of his projects, but beyond sticking us in this room, nothing has happened," I said, hoping to get some information out of her.

"Dr. Cullen, we can continue this dance or you can come with me and treat your patient. Bella, I think, would want her family doctor treating her," she said with a cruel smile.

"What did you do to her?" Esme gasped.

"Oh, a great many things…" she responded, with an evil grin.

I stopped Esme before she could say anything else, knowing that the woman was trying to goad us. Whatever they'd done to Bella, I had to get to her right away.

"Take us to her," I said.

Without another word, the woman turned her back and led us out the door.

For a moment, I considered killing her. We would never be safe with Oscar and his pack running free. And this woman was probably more dangerous than most, with her knowledge of Oscar's medical processes.

_But did I have time to find out what knowledge she had in her head?_

I considered draining her to gain strength for the battle that I knew was coming, but I needed to keep my focus and I wasn't sure how I'd react to human blood.

I was a doctor. I was supposed to preserve life, not take it. But these people had given me no choice. They were threatening my family.

We walked down a series of corridors, each lined with windowless doors. I wondered whether each held prisoners, like us.

"The outer walls are several feet of reinforced concrete. Perhaps not impossible to break through if you had a wrecking ball, plus a bulldozer to dig your way out. The second floor is also subterranean, so this level is more than fifty feet down. The ceiling is solid steel, as is the floor," she said. "So, you might consider whether trying to break Bella out of here will really work when she is so ill and I have my pack brothers nearby."

After turning down one more corridor, the woman stopped in front of a room and punched in a series of numbers on a key pad 1-0-3-0-5-5-5 and opened the door.

Before I was able to move, Esme stepped in front of me and grabbed the woman and threw her against the wall, knocking her unconscious. Faster than I could process, she'd searched the woman and found a walkie-talkie and cell phone.

She punched the same code in the cell across from us and tossed the woman inside, shutting it firmly.

"I couldn't let you do it, dear," she said without turning around somehow knowing that I'd intended to kill her.

I took her hand and squeezed before stepping into the open room.

The infirmary was exactly what one would expect from such a high-tech operation: antiseptic, white, and cold. Filled with gleaming stainless-steel instruments and digital machines.

In the middle of all this, Bella lay on a gurney on the far side of the room.

She was completely still and there was a bluish pallor to her skin, which to any human would appear like death. However, I could see her chest rising and falling and I could hear the rattle of each in-drawn breath.

… _inhale… pause… exhale… … inhale… pause… exhale…_

I froze for a fraction of a second. The familiarity of it filled me with dread.

Then, she coughed, a deep wracking cough, and I flew into action.

I heard a gasp from Esme, but I didn't have time to acknowledge it. With the Spanish influenza, time was crucial to survival.

I thought through the symptoms- extreme fatigue, temperature which could go up to 104 degrees F, headache, muscle and joint aches, vomiting, cough which could tear abdominal muscles leading to bloody froth from the nose, mouth, and sometimes ears which were the signs that the end was near.

I was relieved to see that there was no blood coming from her nose of mouth because there was little I could do once it reached the point.

I looked at the monitors and saw that she did have a temperature and her heart rate was elevated.

"Go to the fridge and see if they have any ice. If not cool wet clothes will have to do," I told Esme.

In the case of Spanish Influenza chest congestion progressed to pneumonia and the body defenses would overreact, often to the point of a "cytokine storm," which was when with a respiratory infection, the body sent massive amounts of fluid to flush the infection out, but the excess accumulated in the lungs and closed off the airways. That was why young healthy people were often hit the hardest because their immune systems were the strongest and would overreact to the threat.

"I'm going to have to intubate. If her lungs fill up with any more fluid, it will be the end," I said.

I didn't want to change her into one of us if I had a choice. I didn't know what condition Edward was in, but if he was still human I couldn't take away from them the chance to be a happy normal couple.

When Esme put a cool cloth on Bella's forehead, she barely reacted beyond a slight elevation of her heart rate.

However, the minute Esme tried to hold her down in order for me to intubate, Bella began to fight us. She thrashed under Esme's hands, her eyes flying open, completely blank.

The machines that Bella was hooked up to started to beep erratically.

"Her pressure's dropping and her temperature's skyrocketing, Carlisle," Esme said.

She tried to hold her head still, but Bella was fighting so hard that I thought that she could possibly break her own neck.

"Let go, let go. We need to try a new approach before she injures herself permanently."

I considered tranquilizing her, but once we'd stopped touching her, she fell back into unconsciousness. It was as if nature had taken over, shutting the brain down to divert all resources to the body during this crucial period.

I looked again at the monitors and saw with shock that her temperature had already increased past the point when most humans would have died.

It was clear that either this wasn't a normal case of influenza or Bella wasn't exactly human anymore.

"Oh god, Is she changing?" Esme moaned.

"I have no idea," I said hollowly.

* * *

**JASPER**

Alice and I followed Bella's trail instead of Edward's for two reasons. Bella was bleeding, so she could be seriously injured and it seemed like Edward was following her anyway.

His scent crisscrossed hers many times never following one direct route.

I became concerned, however, when I stopped catching his scent. Either we'd overtaken him or he was hunting us now, staying downwind like a predator.

From what I could gather from the way he'd killed the two shifters, Edward was behaving more like an animal, acting on instinct rather than logic.

Against a newly turned vampire and probably a werewolf, the logical brain is actually a disadvantage. Our minds are fundamentally logical. We assess a situation, devise possible strategies, and pick the one that represents the best compromise between likelihood of success and likelihood of survival.

A newborn loses that ability to reason, to assess the consequences. It's like a rabid beast, fueled by instinct and fury, ready to destroy everything in sight, even if it kills itself in the process.

"Edward might be following us now," I murmured to Alice. "I think he's keeping downwind of us."

I can feel him watching…" she whispered, "Can't you?"

I didn't answer because once she'd said it I could feel him watching.

Before I'd lost his scent, I'd been sensing his emotions. But the only thing that kept coming through was "need."

_Was it hunger? Desire?_ I couldn't tell.

But it made me feel hungry.

"I've found Emmett and Rosalie's trail," Alice said, interrupting my thoughts.

I sniffed the air and also caught the scent of Sam, Embry, and Jared.

"Okay, let's catch up with them. Hopefully, they have useful information and we'll have reinforcements if Edward decides to attack.

* * *

Step one: Inspect the grounds.

Alice, Embry, and I searched the surrounding forest and were able to find the second entrance. Every above-ground inch was covered with bushes, so it was almost indistinguishable from the forest. However, the concentration of the scent of shifter led me to the location. There was also the scent of werewolf which was so powerful that it almost made me feel sick, something that I didn't think was possible for a vampire.

Once we were close enough to see the compound, we stopped and circled the perimeter, staying as far in the forest as we could while still being able to see the open strip of ground surrounding the building.

We looked, listened, and sniffed for fresh scents of anyone outside the compound walls. According to Sam, from his earlier observations, only two people had been seen going in and out.

* * *

Step two: Get rid of the werewolves.

We had to get rid of them. I didn't know what they were capable of doing and that made me nervous. I didn't want to kill them. They were innocent victims in all of this. This was something done to them by Oscar. So we would try not to kill them, but we could have no choice.

I hated going in blind, but we really had no alternative. We had to take it one step at a time.

"We're ready," I said to Embry, signalling for him to tell Sam who would then relay the message to Emmett and Rosalie and the rest of his pack who would launch their assault on the second entrance.

I flew towards the door and yanked it open.

"Here doggy, doggy, " I called after I'd jumped back.

A snarl came from the underground stairs and a creature larger than I'd expected crawled out of the hole.

It was a disturbing mix of human and beast. Standing on its hind legs, it looked down at me with a fur covered human face, growling, a stalactite of drool quivering from its curled upper lip.

It lunged at me, claws extended as it tried to grab me. I watched for its chain to reach its limit, but it stopped before it reached it. It was long enough that it gave it quite a bit of room to maneuver, so we had to be careful. I looked it in the eye to see whether there was any human intelligence in them, but I saw none.

Emmett said that it was distracted by the smell of meat, so I'd killed a deer and planned on using its blood to focus its attention on me, while Embry and Alice approached it from behind.

I'd drenched one of my hands in the deer's hot blood after gorging myself on it. I knew that the smell would affect the creature just as much as it did me.

It turned its nose up to the sky and sniffed the air and I saw its body shudder as the hunger hit it.

It lunged at me and stretched the chain taut, wheezing as the chain squeezed its neck.

"That's right, doggy. Focus your attention on me for just a little longer," I said.

I saw it begin to tire from the strain on its throat and lose the frenzy in its eyes, so I stepped closer and waved my hand in front of its face.

I thought I'd have time to react. I didn't.

As its paw swiped at me, I tried to pull my head back. However, it still came close enough to open a thin cut that spanned the length of my forehead. From the look of its razor sharp claws, if it had been slightly closer it quite possible could have torn the top of my head off.

"Whoa, doggy," I said, jumping out of reach again.

My distraction had allowed Alice to get down the stairs and Embry to creep up behind it.

As one, Embry and I attacked. I pounced on its back, trying to shove it to the ground. While the creature tried to reach for me, Embry neatly hamstringed it.

It collapsed to the ground, howling in agony and I took the opportunity to grab a huge boulder and lay it on the chain, essentially pinning the creature to the ground with barely enough chain to move its head.

Hopefully, this would be enough to incapacitate without killing it. When it became human again, a doctor could attempt to fix the damage to its hamstrings. If the damage was permanent, the person would still survive.

I prayed that Emmett and his crew were able to handle their own werewolf and were ready to take on the unknown inside.

* * *

Step Three: Get inside the compound.

At the bottom of the stairwell there was a large steel door with a control pad next to it.

After looking at it for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of ripping the door off its hinges, I saw that we really had no choice. Our family was in there and we couldn't wait until someone came out. We just had to pray that we could get into the compound fast enough before whoever was inside could rally the troops.

I dug my fingers into the edge of the door frame, crumbling the cement around it and pulled. Alice joined me and soon we were able to pry it loose, chucking it behind us.

We hurried down another set of stairs that took us deeper into the ground only to find another reinforced steel door which we again pried open.

Inside we were greeted by three shifter guards.

I flew at the nearer guard. As I slammed into him, a shot fired at the ceiling.

As I dealt with the guard in front of me, a second guard was moving forward now. Alice hurdled over me and threw the other guard into the wall, snapping his neck.

Embry grabbed the arm of the third shifter, keeping it from grabbing its walkie-talkie. Without discussing it, we knew that we needed this shifter for information.

I grabbed the shifter by the neck and cut off any attempt to cry for help.

"We need to talk," I snarled, pulling him forward.

Alice moved ahead of me as we travelled down to the end of a hall and then another which had a line of doors on either side.

"Open one of them. They're probably cells," I said.

Alice threw open one of the doors and thankfully it was empty. Upon stepping into the room, a familiar scent hit me. I realized with shock that Paul had been kept here.

_Had he been a prisoner? _

Alice braced open the door with a cabinet as she noticed that there was no handle on the inside.

I dragged the man to the opposite wall and thrust him up against it before saying, "You cry out for help and you die."

I saw the man's eyes widen as he took in my words.

"Where's my family?" I snarled.

"I don't answer to bloodsuckers," he said, his eyes narrowing.

I snapped two of his fingers with a flick of my hand.

"I'll make you-" I began, but then a smell wafted in the doorway.

"He's here, Alice…" I said to her, knowing that she'd be able to hear me over the wailing of the shifter I had pinned to the wall.

Edward was close, but he hadn't reached the door yet.

"Take this guy and get out of here! I'll take care of Edward. Find Emmett and the others before going after the others. This place will be full of shifters."

I dragged the man to the door and grabbed Alice's arm pulling her with us.

"Jasper, we'd be faster together," she said, but then I heard a snarl echoing from down the hall.

"Get out of here! Go find Bella, Carlisle and Esme! I'll deal with Edward."

* * *

I knew I had to somehow lock him in one of the cells, so he wouldn't interfere with our search. I could tell by the emotions emanating from him that his mind was not functioning on a logical level. He was obsessed with a blind need for something.

I walked slowly out of the room and moved carefully down the hallway in the direction of the growl.

I reached the end of the hall with no sighting of Edward, but I could sense that when I turned the corner he would be there.

By the stillness, I knew that he could sense my approach too.

I took a deep unnecessary breath, preparing myself.

I didn't want to hurt him, but I couldn't let him interfere with our rescue. I _had_ to get him into one of the cells.

I carefully turned the corner and inched slightly away from the wall.

I didn't look directly towards Edward's direction but slightly above him. With most predators eye contact was a challenge and I didn't want to hurt him if I didn't have to.

A sound vibrated through the hall, more felt than heard. A growl.

I slowly let my eyes trail downwards.

At the end of the hall, there was a closed door hidden in shadow. The florescent light above it was broken, part of it hanging out of the ceiling.

Then, I saw him. Edward was holding still in the shadows, no movement beyond his eyes.

He stared me in the eyes, teeth bared, lips curled in a silent snarl.

If he was acting like an animal, I had to behave like one too. I looked away and stayed down, holding myself a few inches lower than him.

Too submissive easy prey. Too assertive and he'd see me as a threat.

I inched forward, keeping my gaze focused below Edward's eyes...

By the time my brain registered that he was about to lunge, he was airborne.

I swung around and ran down the hallway, encouraging him to follow, but I hadn't anticipated how fast he was.

He overtook me in a matter of seconds and was on top of me, his teeth scraping my neck as he clutched me to him, his forearm braced against my neck.

"Edward. No," I hissed, flinging him to the side, but the only response was a snarl.

He jumped at me again, but I dove past him, hit the ground and rolled.

Quickly he turned and flew at me again.

I kicked him under the jaw and he somersaulted backward, skidding across the floor.

I threw open one of the closest doors and prepared for Edward to leap again so I could shove him inside, but he was being more cautious now.

His head tilted to the side, looking from me to the door and then he growled again.

I was able to truly look at him at that moment. His clothes were a tattered ruin, showing that he'd clearly been in a fight. His bronze hair was matted to his head and he was splattered with blood. His green eyes were wild with a killing fire, no trace of my brother anywhere to be seen.

During our fight, I'd been trying to break through Edward's walls to try to get a message to him, but I couldn't tell whether his mind reading powers were even working.

I shouted various things at him with my mind. _Brother… Family… Safe… _Anything I could think of to get him to listen.

When I threw the word _Bella _at him, however, he froze for a moment before his eyes burned with rage as he threw himself at me with a roar.

This was my chance. I grabbed a hold of the tatters of his shirt and tried to propel him into the room, but again Edward's strength threw me. His hands wrapped around my wrist and jerked me into the room with him, both of us tumbling to the ground.

I'd meant to get Edward into one of the cells without going in myself, but Edward's strength was a surprise for me. I was at a disadvantage in this small space because while Edward's sole mission right now was to kill me, I was trying to trap him in this room without hurting him in the process.

We both rolled to our feet and I swung around to kick him again, but missed by a hairsbreadth.

I hadn't braced myself, and the motion propelled me off-balance.

Edward grabbed my left leg at the knee and his fangs sank in which caused pain to cloud my vision.

I brought my hands together and with a combined fist brought it down on his head, and sent him reeling, probably more from surprise than pain.

But when he jerked away, his fangs ripped through my knee.

I dashed to the side of the room with the bed and threw myself across it, putting it between Edward and me.

When he leaped at me, I shoved the bed at him and knocked him off his feet.

But again his reaction time was quick.

I tried shouting words at him again. _Edward… Jasper… Brother… Bella needs you…_

Again, Bella's name pulled him to a stop, but then only spurred him to more anger.

I spun around the side of the bed and tried to make a run for the door, hoping to make it before Edward reached me, but he again was too fast.

He grabbed my jacket and yanked me backwards.

"Edward… come on… Snap out of it… We don't have time for this," I hissed, as I somersaulted backwards and to my feet again each of us pacing back and forth sizing the other up.

I couldn't believe that this was my brother. He had the pale skin of a vampire, but his eyes hadn't changed color. He could almost pass for human, but his skin had lost the softness of human and looked harder, more sculpted. His fangs were also very real, the bite marks that he'd made as he tore at my leg still throbbing.

We also shouldn't have been as evenly matched as we were. He was matching me move for move which for a newborn was impossible. I searched his emotions for something rational, but found nothing.

The only possibility was that he was reading my actions before I made them.

I had to be faster with my decisions, not giving Edward time to read them and react to them.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward leap. That broke the spell. I dove out of his path, but he caught my pant leg in his teeth and I tripped, crashing to the floor. As I flipped over, he leaped onto my chest, jaws wide, slashing down at my throat. I brought my fists up into the underside of his jaw, skewing his aim. Wrapping both hands around his neck, I fought to keep his head away from mine. His jaws snapped so close a rush of hot air hit my throat.

Grappling with him, I managed to get both my legs up and thrust them into his stomach which caused him to fall back.

As I scrambled to my feet, I made a dash again for the door.

I had just made it out the door when I felt Edward behind me. I spun around to face him again, but he again was too fast.

He yanked me towards him again and rolled backwards, kicking me into the room.

I jumped to my feet, but it was too late.

With one last look at me, Edward dashed down the hall shouldering the door shut in the process.


	38. Mates

**A:N Hi everyone. Yes, finally I've posted a new chapter. I know that a lot of you or most of you thought that I'd abandoned this story, but I haven't. I just lost my way for a while. This chapter is short, but I already have an Edward Bella chapter in the works that I hope to complete tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the chapter. It didn't come easily. Please drop my a line. I'd love to hear from you after my long hiatus. Thanks and talk to you soon!  
**

**EMMETT**

The first thing that hit me when we finally broke into the compound was the god awful smell. It was a disgusting mix of antiseptic and dog. Not just dog, it was wilder than the scent of shifters. Werewolf scent was worse than anything I'd ever smelled.

That was an added complication. A werewolf, probably Oscar, was stalking the halls too. Now I wanted to be the one to kill Oscar, but now I had to find my family. So, I really didn't enjoy the idea of having him creeping around the hallways at the same time.

Getting control of the chained werewolf that was guarding the entrance to the compound had been difficult to say the least. I was used to anticipating the way that a human, vampire, shifter even mountain lions and bears thought. All of them acted in a logical way, either instinctually or calculating. The werewolf didn't think in any of these ways. It acted erratically as different things caught its attention. One minute its attention was on me, but then suddenly it was transfixed on the moon and then to something that I couldn't see to its left, then back to me, all the while thrashing wildly against its chain.

I could have easily killed it, but besides the three nights of the full moon, it was a human that knew nothing about what was happening to it. So, we left it howling on the ground, probably alerting any guards in the area that their stronghold was under attack, but silencing it would mean killing it.

Once I'd ripped the door off its hinges, Rosalie forged ahead, kicking down the inner doors as we went. I was surprised that it sometimes took Rosie a second kick to knock the doors completely down. They were clearly made to try to prevent supernatural being from getting in or out. But they underestimated us. The pack followed us down the stairs close at my heels, but because the hall was narrow, we were still forced to go one at a time, which made it very difficult to prepare ourselves for an attack.

I heard commotion around the next corner accompanied by the scent of human. I didn't want to kill whoever it was, but I would if I had to. However, I wouldn't feed. I couldn't go down that path. It had been years since I'd fed on a human and I couldn't break that pattern now.

Thankfully, it was a lone man that appeared around the corner. He was in his mid-forties wearing a lab coat.

Rosalie let out a snarl and grabbed him, lifting him off his feet by his neck. He coughed into the air and tried futilely to pry her fingers off his neck. "Where are the vampires?" I growled.

The man gaped uncomprehendingly at me.

"WHERE ARE THEY?" Rose roared, giving him a shake.

The man tried again to pull Rose's hand off his neck, whimpering. However, at his struggles, Rose started to squeeze, bones creaking on the verge of snapping.

"She'll kill you if you don't prove to be useful in the next 10 seconds," I said, being good cop to Rosalie's bad one.

"Whi… which… ones?" he stuttered. "We… we… we have a lot of them."

My heart sank.

"How many?" I growled.

"Ah… I think about 15?" he said as if it was a question.

15 was not good. 15 vampires that had probably been tortured like Edward. And in order to find my family, I might have to open their cells one at a time.

"You' and your group are evil…"Roe hissed. "You've just outlived your usefulness."

"Wait! Wait!" he whimpered. "I have information!"

I put my hand on Rose's shoulder and she stopped squeezing.

"Make it quick. We have places to be," I said impatiently.

"We have a control room which is full of monitors that cover every cell and hallway. You'll be able to find your family that way, right? I have a family too…"

Rose dropped him to the ground and then shoved him ahead of us.

"Lead the way," she said.

* * *

After rushing down endless hallways, I started to get the feeling that he was leading us on a wild goose chase.

We passed several more rooms, hearing sounds coming from within. I knew that before this craziness could be put behind us we would have to decide what to do with the creatures behind those doors. However, I pushed that out of my head in order to focus.

I was just about to tear the man limb from limb for stalling us when he stopped at a door that was marked SECURITY.

"I just need to remember the code," he stammered.

I slammed my shoulder against the door twice and it fell inward with a loud boom. We were past the point of stealth. They knew we were here.

"Do we kill him?" Rose asked matter-of-factually.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, however, Sam pushed past me growling.

"That's a no, I guess," I said.

I shoved the man into the open door and saw inside that we'd hit the jackpot. The wall on the opposite side of the room was filled with TV monitors.

I stepped closer and saw that they were video feeds of each cell and hallway in the building.

"Emmett. There's Jacob and… oh my god, there's Carlisle and Esme with Bella in another cell. Is she sick?" Rose gasped.

I stepped closer to the monitor trying to see what was going on, but all I could see was Bella laid out on a hospital bed with Carlisle and Esme leaning over her.

"I think she is…" I said with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I pulled my eyes away from what was going on in that room and scanned the other monitors.

Looking at a monitor to the left I froze.

"Jazz is in that room," I growled pointing at the screen.

Jasper was pacing back and forth inside the cell, pounding on its walls.

"Why can't he get out?" Rosalie asked with concern.

"They must be built to withstand our strength. I guess Oscar thought of everything…" I snarled.

We needed to get to them, but I wasn't sure whether we should spread out. Some of us would have to go for Jasper and the others for Carlisle and the others.

"Where's Alice?" I said scanning the screens.

"There she is," Rose said, pointing at a monitor overlooking one of the hallways.

When I saw her, I sighed in relief. At least she was free.

Then, I saw another person coming down a hallway that would intersect with Alice's.

I crouched down to get a better look and what I saw chilled me.

At first all I saw was a hunched form in tattered clothing covered in mud and blood, but then as the person got closer to the camera I realized who it was.

Edward looked up at the camera as if sensing me and what I saw in his eyes was not my brother. His green eyes were wide and feral, the whites showing. As he stared into the camera, his lip curled into a snarl before tilting his head to the side as if he'd heard something.

Then, he crouched low to the ground and started edging towards the end of the hallway where in moments he would meet up with Alice.

"We gotta go," I gasped and without waiting for a response bolted out of the room.

I had to stop my siblings from killing each other.

* * *

As we flew down the hallway, I spoke to the others.

"Rose, you have to get Jasper because we're going to need him. Sam, you guys get Jake and then we'll meet you at Carlisle, Esme, and Bella's room. I don't have to tell you to be careful. There are a lot of other supernatural creatures in this place."

Without responding, everyone split off heading for their destination.

I knew generally where I was going but I had to slow down a bit in order to avoid coming upon my siblings too quickly. I didn't want to startle Edward because I knew that he wasn't thinking with a logical brain right now.

I smelled them before I saw them. I would know Alice's scent anywhere.

So, I slowed to almost a standstill and then edged myself to the end of the corridor. There was no sound coming from around the corner, but the stillness was full of tension.

I crept closer and then I heard it. A very low grumbling warning growl. I knew that growl, but in the past it had only ever been used against me in fun.

However, instead of listening to Edward's warning, I crept around the corner, so that now I could see Edward and Alice in a standoff.

They were locked in each others' gazes just like I'd seen them do so many times in the past.

Their telepathy used to annoy the shit out of me, but now I felt desperate to know what was going through their heads.

I crept closer to Edward, thinking about trying to grab a hold of him to stop him from attacking Alice. But as soon as the thought entered my head, the growl turned into a snarl.

Shit. He was reading my mind.

Alice's eyes flickered to mine just once and she very very carefully raised her hand in a warding off gesture, telling me not to do anything.

So, I stayed in place, but it was too late. Edward spun towards me, preparing to attack.

* * *

**EDWARD**

I sniffed the air, but she wasn't here.

…_**Edward, can you understand me?...**_

Hints of my mate's scent floated around the creature in front of me.

With a growl, I showed my strength.

I stepped closer. The scent was old. My mate wasn't here_._

… _**I'm your sister Alice. I'm here to help you find your mate….….**_

Stepping back, I examined the creature before me.

…_**I know it is hard to understand my words, so I'll show you. Just don't try to kill me, okay?...**_

Images appeared before my eyes.

…_. Hunting….… warm blood in my mouth… Sharing the kill with my pack… each with blood on their mouths…..…. Three males…..….. three females….… _

… _**We are your pack. Do not fight us….. **_

_... at a lake... in the water…. __my mate with me and my pack,_

I growled, telling the others to stay away from what's mine.

… _**We will help you find your mate…..**_

I looked at the creature in front of me again. Something about her did seem familiar. Maybe she... Alice... was part of my pack. And pack mates help each other. I started to relax my defensive posture.

However, suddenly, I heard another creature approaching.

…_**Alice and Edward are right around the corner. I hope that they're not killing each other. They're really quiet…. Maybe I can sneak up on them…..**_

A threat. I growled in warning.

…_**. Maybe I can grab him and pin him down….**_

I growled louder, showing my strength.

…_**. Edward, he is one of your pack. Do not attack!...**_

The creature ignored my warning. I needed to attack.

"Emmett! Look out!" the creature in front of me shouted as I turned towards the new threat.

It was bigger than me, but I was faster.

I crouched, preparing to attack.

Suddenly, a shrill scream ripped through the air, the sound sending a sharp pain through my head.

It was the call of my mate. She was in pain.

I roared and bounded past the large creature in front of me. My mate was close. My mate was in danger.


	39. Confrontation

**BELLA**

_I can't breathe. Why can't I breathe?_

I felt like I was trying to take a breath underwater and with every indrawn breath I felt a bubbling sensation constrict me.

Frantically, I tried to push myself to the surface, but when I tried to kick my feet to get some momentum I felt someone grab a hold of them.

"Don't struggle sweetheart. You need to save your strength."

I tried to force my eyes open so that I could see Esme because I was desperate to know what was going on.

Suddenly, a fire seemed to erupt inside of me as if boiling oil had been poured over me.

I opened my mouth to scream, but all that came out was a gurgle.

"Bella, you need to relax. You're going to hurt yourself. You need to let me help you."

I understood what Carlisle was saying, but when the fire ebbed I felt like I was suddenly submerged in ice water that burned just as much as the heat.

My eyes flew open at the sensation and my eyes darted around me.

Esme stepped into my line of sight and tried to smile soothingly at me, but the concern on her face made me panic more.

"Es…es… mm.." was all I could get out, but she seemed to understand me and caressed my head. However, instead of being soothing, her touch hurt, like a burning stick being dragged across my skin.

"Just hold on sweetheart. We're doing everything we can. You're sick, very sick. Carlisle is helping you."

Her eyes look to the right and I tried to move my head to see what she was looking at but my eyes clouded over like I was suddenly trying to see things through murky water.

"Hold on, Bella," Esme said, hearing a whimper in her voice as I was dragged back into the darkness.

* * *

I woke up to screaming. It was so loud that it was like a spike drilling into my head.

I hurt. Everywhere hurt. It was more pain than I'd ever felt.

"We've got to stop her from fighting. She's already torn a tendon in her neck."

I opened my eyes again, looking for Carlisle, but all I could see was white.

I tried to speak, but it was then that I realized that I was the one that was screaming.

Snapping my mouth shut, I was relieved that the ear-splitting shrieking was gone.

"Bella? Bella? Can you hear me? We're here sweetheart. Open your eyes."

I forced my eyes open again and saw Carlisle and Esme looking down at me.

I needed to know what was happening to me, so I tried to focus on Carlisle.

"Ccc…ccaa…" but that was all that I could get out.

However, Carlisle seemed to understand what I was trying to do.

"It's okay, Bella. Your body is fighting an infection right now. I know that you're having trouble breathing, but if you try to take small shallow breaths you'll start to get oxygen. It's going to hurt, but it will make you feel a little better."

I forced my body to be still even though every bone in my body felt like it had been set on fire.

After I'd steadied myself, I started concentrating on taking short even breaths and soon I felt my mind clearing up.

I tried to speak again and this time more came out.

"Whha… isss…. wrrr… wrrronnng?" I asked.

"We think you've been infected with whatever Edward has. You seem to be going through the same symptoms. The chest congestion from the Spanish influenza, the burning joints and your strength seems to be increasing. I'm sorry, Bella. I'm doing everything I can, but it would seem that you're going through a kind of transformation and I can't tell for sure into what," he explained.

"Hhhh… howwww… lllonnggg?"

"I don't know for sure. It seems to be progressing faster than Edward's, probably because of the full moon. However, we're only on the first night of the full moon. There are still two to go. I would imagine by the end of the three day cycle, whatever changes that you're going through will be done."

Closing my eyes, a feeling of calm started to settle over me, blanketing the pain. It was strange, but I was somewhat comforted that whatever I was turning into was the same as Edward. We'd be in this together.

I drifted back into the darkness.

* * *

I awoke to a loud boom and then shouting. The sound was like the pounding of a hammer against my head.

"HOLD HIM BACK! DON'T LET HIM GET TO BELLA!"

"SON! WE'RE NOT HURTING HER! PLEASE STOP FIGHTING ME!"

"I CAN'T HOLD HIM CARLISLE! HE'S TOO STRONG!"

I recognized the voice of Esme and the desperation in her voice made my heart speed up in panic.

Then, my whole body jerked as my bed was shoved to the side and tipped over, throwing me to the ground.

The pain was so excruciating that I shrieked. Then, the bubbling in my chest pushed into my throat causing me to choke.

Dead silence followed and then the room erupted in a roar and then snarling accompanied by the sound of grinding metal.

"PLEASE! CARLISLE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE HER! SHE'S CHOKING!" Esme screamed.

"BELLA! SLOW SHALLOW BREATHS. KEEP YOURSELF BREATHING!"

I could tell that Carlisle was trying to soothe me, but a sound of strain was in his voice as he tried to protect me from some threat.

"STOP! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT SHE NEEDS ME TO TREAT HER! I KNOW THAT YOU'RE IN THERE SOMEWHERE, SON!"

But the sound of snarling and grinding metal only got louder.

"CARLISLE!"

Esme's agonized scream made me desperate to open my eyes because it was so full of anguish and fear.

I fought to sit up and open my eyes, needing to know that Carlisle was okay. But the fluid in my lungs was choking me and it was taking all of my energy to keep myself breathing.

Suddenly a vice like grip wrenched me up from the floor. My eyes flew open, knowing this time that my survival depended on it.

A monster was holding me tight against it. I couldn't even tell what it was because it was so covered with blood. Its grip on me was so tight that it was painful, adding to the agony that was already pulsing through my body.

"Nnnn… nnn…" I tried to speak, but nothing else came out.

But at the sound of my voice, the monster looked down at me.

My already labored breath completely caught in my lungs.

I knew those eyes. They were the ones that I loved more than anything else in this world.

But the rest of him didn't fit with those eyes. He face was scratched with smears of blood around his mouth and sprayed on his forehead. His hair was so matted I couldn't even tell what color it was.

_Was this really my Edward? Was he even Edward anymore?_

Just as I thought this, there was a commotion on the other side of the room that caused Edward to snarl louder and squeeze me against him which made me whimper.

"OH MAN, CARLISLE. ARE YOU OKAY?"

I almost sighed in relief at Emmett's voice because I knew that it meant that the rest of the Cullens were there. But Edward only got more tense and angry, shaking with the rage that was bubbling under the surface.

I forced my head to turn in the direction where I'd heard the voices of my family coming from.

Carlisle was sitting on the floor, clutching his arm to his side, which looked like it was practically torn off his body. Esme was crouched next to him, one hand pressed to her mouth while the other caressed her husband's head.

"Edward, let her go man… You're going to hurt her…" I looked towards Emmett and saw that he was edging towards us with Rosalie close behind.

I could already tell that Emmett's attempt to approach Edward was not going to work. Edward's body was tensing more and his grip on me was even harder, which caused me to gasp in pain.

Emmett froze at the sound and held his hands out in front of him to show that he meant no harm.

"You're hurting her, Edward. Please stop. I won't come any closer," he said as soothingly as he could.

I looked up at Edward again, hoping to see that Emmett's words were sinking in, but his eyes were still filled with a feral light.

I had to do something or he would crush me without even knowing it.

Clearly, he wanted to keep me away from the others, whether to protect me or…. hopefully not to eat me… so I had to focus his attention back on me.

One of my arms was free from the hold that he had me in, so I very slowly reached my hand up to his face.

I knew that it was a risk because my blood was tempting to my rational Edward, so this animal version of Edward might not be able to control himself. But I had to do something in order to protect my family and Edward as well.

As I pressed my hand against his cheek, I saw his nostrils flare at my scent that had so tempted him in the past. At his reaction, I forced myself not to flinch at what I'd expected was the impending bite.

But when nothing happened, I very gently started to caress his jaw in as soothing a way as possible, quelling the trembling of my hand at the danger I was putting myself into.

Edward's body didn't relax, but his eyes kept flickering down at me while continuing to watch the others.

_Well, he didn't kill me… And clearly I got his attention, but he's too stressed by the others to let his guard down. _

"Emm…emm…" I began, but trying to talk irritated my lungs and I started the gurgling cough that felt like it was suffocating me.

"Bella…" Carlisle said. "Don't try to talk… You need to focus on yourself…"

My voice didn't seem to bother Edward, but Carlisle's seemed to enrage him. He curled his lip and let out a long drawn out growl that rumbled through his entire body.

"Emm…. Emm…ett… wh… wherrre… Jass… per?" I asked, knowing that Jasper might be able to take the edge off of the situation.

"Alice has gone for him. He's trapped in one of the cells," Emmett responded

I internally steeled myself. Without Jasper, it was up to me.

"Yyyouuu… ggoo..." I coughed.

"I don't think so, Bella," he said, firmly.

But again, Edward snarled and clutched me tighter. This time, I felt a sharp pain in my side as my ribs creaked under the strain. I moaned in pain and my hand which hadn't stopped trying to soothe him, spasmed against his cheek.

Edward looked down at me, his head tilting to the side as he examined me.

I needed to take control of this situation while his focus was still on me.

Forcing past the pain and congestion, I spoke to the others.

"YYyyouuu… needdd… ggoo... Wwwaiittt… Jasssppperr"

I heard unnecessary indrawn breaths from the Cullens, but I didn't look away from Edward.

"He… hee… doesnnnt… wwannntt… ttt hhurt mme…"

We needed Jasper, so I needed to keep him calm until he got here. Hopefully, soon.

"No," Emmett said adamantly, but I heard Rosalie whisper something to him.

"Rose, he'll kill her," Emmett tried to reason.

"I don't think he will, son. He could have easily crushed her in his arms, but he seems more upset by us than her," Esme stated.

"Are you sure, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

At his voice, Edward snarled and took a step forward. Carlisle's voice seemed to affect him the most and I was really afraid that Edward would kill me or Carlisle or maybe both of us.

"Ggggo," I demanded as forcefully as I could.

"We'll be right outside, Bella. And the minute Jasper gets here, we'll deal with this situation," Carlisle explained. "Keep your movements to a minimum. Keep talking to him, but do not raise your voice. I think he'll relax somewhat when we're gone, but he is still very dangerous, Bella."

"If you feel at any point that he's going to kill you, say the word and we'll be at your side before you're able to take your next breath," Emmett said.

I wanted to shudder at the thought of what would happen to my family if they had an open confrontation with Edward. I didn't think that everyone would make it out alive.

I didn't hear them withdraw, but I felt it when we were alone because Edward relaxed infinitesimally.

So, I began to gently talk to him.

"Edward, I love you. Are you still in there? It's me, Bella. Do you remember me?" I said, beginning to trace along his jaw again, which he'd always liked before.

At my words, Edward looked down at me.

But this time his sole focus was only on me.


	40. Breaking Out edited

**A/N- Hi everyone. Here is an edited version of Breaking Out. I was in so much of a hurry to publish the last chapter that I really left a lot of things hanging, so I've added to it and I feel now like it is more complete. Hope you all like it.  
**

**BELLA**

Edward shifted to a crouching position, his eyes remaining focused on the door to the cell, a mountain lion ready to pounce. I could see the shadows blocking the light from the hallway, as the Cullens maintained watch from a distance.

Eyes narrowed, making sure the others didn't re-enter the room, Edward edged backwards away from the door and towards my overturned bed. His hands still gripped me tightly, keeping me so close to his body that I could feel the thump of his heart against my shoulder.

I watched his face the whole time, which was taut and wary, mouth a thin line, the pulse in his neck throbbing

I was trying to take comfort in the fact that his actions seemed protective and possessive instead of aggressive. However, it was hard to focus because my chest was so tight and the lack of oxygen was sending star bursts of light across my vision.

Whenever I would breathe too deeply, I would cough which would cause Edward to pull me against him a little tighter which only constricted my airway more, so I knew that it was essential to my survival to soothe him into putting me down.

Eventually, Edward had moved us so that we were positioned behind the overturned gurney which he was using as a kind of barricade. However, even with this protection, a growl was a steady rumble coming from deep inside him as his eyes darted around the room.

"Edward," I said as softly as I could though the hoarseness of my voice. But he never looked at me, only squeezed me a little tighter.

"Edward, my love. It's me. It's your Bella. Come back to me sweetheart, "I murmured, trying not to shudder as I ran my fingers through his hair that was sticky with blood.

At my name, he looked down at me, staring intensely into my eyes.

I couldn't see my Edward in his eyes. Instead there was something primal looking back at me. His eyes told me he felt a bond with me that was beyond the rational, it was visceral.

I took a deep breath, overwhelmed by the feeling crackling between us, but I regretted it immediately.

A cough tore at my lungs and this time I felt like I'd torn something. A coppery taste filled my mouth which caused me to gag.

Edward stiffened, his nostrils flaring at the scent of my blood on my lips. His glittering green eyes focused on my mouth and a shiver run through him as he disturbingly licked his lips.

His grip on me loosened as he let go of me with one arm and very slowly reached towards my face.

More gently than I would have imagined, Edward dragged his thumb across my bottom lip and then pulled it back only to stare intently at the drop of blood that had pearled on the pad of his thumb.

In fear, I watched him stare at the blood and then cautiously pull his hand away from my face and raise it to his waiting mouth. Looking into my eyes again, he slowly placed his thumb in his mouth and licked off the blood.

I began to shiver in fear as I saw his pupils dilate in pleasure and heard his growling abruptly stop.

"It's Bella, Edward. You love me. Please don't hurt me. I'm your Bella. Bella loves you," I whispered to him.

At my words, a frown wrinkled his forehead, but beyond that he was still.

Then, very slowly, he began lift me closer to him at the same time as he brought his head down towards me. My survival instinct told me to struggle, but I knew that this compulsion was wrong. This was Edward and ever since I'd met him I'd gone against my human survival instinct and never regretted loving a vampire.

In his eyes at that moment, I didn't see a monster; it was more a look of confusion and something I couldn't quite define.

Sensing the increased tension from the Cullens who were hovering in the doorway, I had to get them to stand down. Edward's expression told me that he had no intention of hurting me. I was more afraid that if the Cullens burst in he might kill me without meaning to.

"It's okay. He isn't going to hurt me," I tried to say confidently because who was I kidding there was always a risk when it came to Edward and me.

I sensed them moving closer to the doorway, but then they stopped.

My face was now so close to Edward's that I could feel his breath on my lips, almost as if he was leaning in to kiss me. But just before his lips touched mine, he instead dragged his tongue across my lips, licking off the blood.

It was both disturbing and erotic because as the taste of my blood spread across his tongue, Edward's breathing sped up and a low moan rumbled in his chest.

Steeling myself, I reached up again and tried to caress his cheek, wanting to appeal to his humanity and not the animal that was addicted to my blood. But instead of allowing me to cup his cheek, Edward turned his face into my hand inhaling deeply as he pressed his face against my wrist.

Edward's grip on me was loose now, so I took the opportunity to struggle my way to a sitting position while still resting on his lap. Pulling my other arm out from where it was wedged between my body and his, I brought my hand to the other side of his face.

"Edward, look at me," I said as firmly as I could.

With a gentle pressure, I turned his head so he was now face to face with me.

I tilted his head up, so that I could look into his eyes and tried to smile.

"Are you in there sweetheart? Do you remember that you promised that you'd never leave me? Well, it's time, Edward. It's time to fulfill your promise. Come back to me, my love. I can't lose you again," I practically whispered to him.

I watched for any sign of humanity in Edward's piercing green eyes, but I wasn't sure what I was seeing. It was almost as if I could see a kind of war being waged inside. At one moment, all I could see was the predator who thirsted for me, but the next minute I saw someone who was trying with all of his might to understand what was happening around him.

So, I talked to him about us as I tried to soothe him with my voice and my touch. I brushed his hair off his forehead, ran my thumbs along the arching curve of his eyebrows, traced his cheekbones, caressed his jaw, and ran my hands through his hair. The whole time, Edward's eyes stayed locked with mine, no longer flickering towards the doorway where the Cullens stood.

However, our quiet moment was suddenly broken as the excruciating pain that had gripped me earlier came back full force.

I crumpled in upon myself a cry of agony bursting out of me as the fire began to burn its way through every vein in my body. Clutching a handful of Edward's shirt, I buried my face against his chest, as the fire consumed me. Everything around me was fading as the pain took over.

"Edward," I whimpered, burying myself deeper into his arms as unconsciousness reached out for me.

From what seemed like far away now, I felt his arms hold me securely to his body and the sound of my lullaby being hummed in my ear.

"Be…. lla…"

I snapped awake, looking up at him.

I couldn't breathe again, but this time it wasn't just the sickness.

We were locked in each other's' gazes again, but this time he was the one to speak.

"Breathe…" he said in a raspy voice.

I tried really hard to do what he said, but it was too hard. My chest was so constricted that I felt like I was drowning.

"I… I… I can't," I gasped through the pain.

With a growl, Edward righted the gurney and lifted me up.

Placing me on the bed, he brushed his hand against my hair as his eyes darted around the room looking for an attack and then down at me with concern.

I tried to reach for him, but I just felt so weak.

Suddenly, Edward's head snapped up and his arms ripped away from me.

A howl echoed through the hallways, seemingly right on top of us and far away at the same time.

I watched Edward tilt his head, listening. Then, I was horrified to see a look of hate spread across his face.

"Edward… no…" I said, trying to grab his arm, but he wasn't with me anymore. His mind was focused on the howl, the howl of the werewolf which was probably Oscar.

Without even a final look at me, Edward bounded away and to the door where he came face to face with the Cullens.

Grabbing a hold of Carlisle, Edward yanked him into the room and shoved him towards me before pushing his way past the others with a snarl of rage.

Even though I was worried about Edward, I sighed in relief when I felt Carlisle's cool hands on my face and wrist where he checked my pulse.

Never taking his eyes from me, Carlisle spoke. "Follow him," he said to the others. "Help him if you can. Hopefully, we can take Oscar down tonight."

* * *

**JACOB**

"Let me out, you cowards!" I shouted as I limped the length of my cell, for the zillionth time.

My jaw ached, my ribs ached, my arm was broken with deep puncture wounds from Oscar that I didn't even want to think about. And I felt like my femur in my left leg was fractured.

All of these wounds hurt a lot more in my human form than they did in my wolf one but once I'd shifted back it was too painful to try to return to my wolf form.

In other words, I was a mess although I guess I should have been thankful that I was even alive.

After surviving my encounter with Sue and Oscar, I'd really thought that Edward was going to be the one to kill me.

He'd been like a wild animal thirsting for my blood. Strangely, though, he didn't smell under all the blood totally werewolf or vampire. Some human blood still pumped through his veins. So I'd been hopeful that when I threw Bella's name at him, that he'd react and he did. There was enough of Edward left in him to stop him from ripping out my throat when I'd called Bella his mate.

However, once he'd bounded away after her, I started to doubt what I'd done. I prayed with all of my might that when he found her, he was going to protect her because I was in no condition to defend her anymore.

In agony, I'd laid on the ground unable to move even when shifters in lab coats came and dragged me away.

And now here I was, trapped in a cage.

I threw myself at the walls of my prison even though it hurt like hell because I couldn't just do nothing. No one knew where I was, no one was coming for me. And every minute that ticked by my friends were in danger.

I tried to find the edge of the door in order to pry it open, but I couldn't even wedge my fingers into the small crack.

Letting out a scream of frustration, I punched the wall in anger, but then got a hold of myself. I couldn't let my temper cloud my judgement. So, I took a deep breath and tried to focus on something else.

I pressed my ear against the wall trying to hear anything that could give me a clue as to what was happening outside. But what I heard made me yank my head away. A human wouldn't have been able to hear it, but ever since becoming a shifter my hearing was more acute. And what I heard chilled my blood. I could hear the sounds of shouting, nearby and farther away. Some were shouting curses while others were just screaming in fear and madness.

I shuddered, remembering what Jasper had divulged about Edward's captivity and how Oscar had starved and tortured him for three years. From the multitude of voices and Oscar's hatred for vampires, I realized that there could literally be hundreds of starving vampires locked up in here with me.

My hope for my pack and the Cullens started to dwindle at this thought. A supernatural enemy that could gather so many supporters, build this kind of prison, and capture all of these creatures seemed almost beyond our power to stop. Oscar was so much more of a threat than I'd ever imagined, but I'd already decided that I'd die trying to stop him.

I pressed my ear against the wall separating me and the hallway again, trying to block out the sounds of despair and focus on any other sound.

At first, I heard nothing, but then I heard the far off sounds of what I thought were footfalls. As they got louder, I realized that whoever was approaching was running.

Hope filled me again. A member of Oscar's pack wouldn't be running unless they were being chased and that was a good sign for our side.

However, when the steps skidded to a stop right outside of my door, I took a step back in nervousness.

Suddenly, there was a loud boom as something slammed against the door. However, the door didn't budge. Again there was a boom and then a muffled curse from the other side of the door. This time I saw a slight gap between the wall and the edge of the door. Another boom caused the door to vibrate as it began to lose its locking mechanism.

"God dammit, Jacob! Help me!" a voice growled from the other side of the door as the person threw themselves against the door again.

The voice was familiar, but muffled so I couldn't tell who it was.

However, I still sprang into action, wedging my fingers against the now exposed edge of the door. Once I had somewhat of a grip on it, I shouted, "ONE, TWO, THREE!" and yanked as hard as I could at the same time as whoever it was on the other side of the door slammed into it.

With our combined strength, the door gave way and then collapsed inward on top of me, slamming me to the ground.

I was so weak from my injuries that I didn't have the strength to lift it off of me.

I struggled to pull myself out from under it, but my rescuer helped me first.

With a groan of effort, the door was yanked off of me and tossed to the side.

I looked up at my rescuer to thank him or her, but my words stuck in my throat.

"Hello, Jake."

It was Paul's voice.

I stared at him for a minute because I couldn't quite connect the man I knew with the deformed beaten face in front of me. It took a moment to find under the mottled yellow and purple bruises the confirmation that it was definitely my old pack brother.

"Come on, we need to go. Can you walk?" he said gruffly, but did not offer to help me up.

"Yeah," I said, suspiciously.

He quickly stepped away from me and turned away.

"We have to go before someone comes looking for us," he said.

"Is the pack here?" I asked, still confused as to why he was here.

"No…" he said, starting to walk away.

"Why are you here?" I said even more confused.

"I don't have to answer any questions. I'm helping you. That's all you need to know," he snarled.

The confusion started to fade away as the shock of seeing him dissipated. He could only be here if he'd known I was a prisoner.

"You traitor!"

I snarled and grabbed him, wrenching him around in order to punch him.

Paul snarled back at me but didn't defend himself.

The pain from my broken arm as it hit his face was excruciating, causing me to drop to the ground.

"Would I be here letting you out if I wanted you dead?! Don't be stupid!" he growled. "Come on."

I reluctantly pulled myself to my feet and followed.

"You disgust me. I can't believe you were once my brother," I hissed at him.

He muttered something under his breath, but I only caught the tail end of what he'd said.

"… disgust myself…"

Looking left and right down the hallway, I left the cell behind him.

"Wait. I need to find Bella," I said, stopping.

He did not respond nor slow down. He strode ahead of me clearly knowing where he was going so I had no choice but to follow.

As we turned another corner, I was horrified to see that there were scattered body parts across the hall with blood spattered walls. I steeled myself, worried that they belonged to a member of my pack or the Cullens. However, as disturbing as the sight was, I sighed with relief as we got closer because I saw that it was no one I knew. Just another member of Oscar's pack.

Paul, however, slowed down taking a deep shuddering breath before soldiering on. Clearly, he knew whoever it had been.

"One of your friends?!" I taunted.

But before he could respond to me, a howl tore through the hallways, making us both fall back against the wall.

"What's that?!"I hissed.

"Oscar…" Paul said, a look of horror crossing his face. "We have to get as far away from him as possible. We're like fish in a barrel in this building."

Suddenly there was a blur ahead of us as something launched itself at Paul.

There was a snarl and a concussion of sound that sent me reeling against the opposite wall knocking me to my knees.

Everything was chaos around me because at first all I saw were whirring shapes.

Then I started making out people in the chaos.

"Emmett," I called out.

Emmett's head snapped towards me.

"Hey Jake! Good to see that you're still alive!" he shouted before turning back to the chaos where he and Rosalie were trying to control someone who was attacking Paul.

I limped towards them and saw a person with bronze hair thrashing against them as they gripped his arms.

"Edward!" I shouted.

At his name, his head snapped towards me only to turn away as another howl reverberated behind him.

With a roar, he ripped himself out of their grip and ran in the direction where the howl came from with Emmett and Rosalie running behind him.

I staggered over to Paul as he used the wall to pull himself upright.

Besides the bruises that covered his body, Paul now had a long gash on his cheek as well as one along his collar bone.

"Edward tried to kill you. Now why would he try to do that…" I said sarcastically.

"We need to keep going. Bella's down this way," he said, ignoring my comment.

"Why should I trust you?" I snarled. "You're probably trying to lead me to your pack."

"I'M TRYING TO KEEP ALL OF YOU ALIVE!" he shouted, spinning towards me a look of desperation in his eyes. "Please! Just let me do this one thing!" he begged.

Seeing his sincerity, I couldn't ignore it. So I gestured for him to continue and followed along behind him.

* * *

By the time we got to the surgical ward, I was on the verge of collapse.

Blood loss and pain were crippling me, so I was more than thrilled to see Carlisle and Esme.

But the relief disappeared instantly when I saw who was lying on the gurney.

Bella was so pale that she looked dead. The only thing that told me that she wasn't dead was that Carlisle was working frantically over her.

When we entered the room, Esme looked up at us with a gasp before a look of anger crossed her face.

"What's he doing here?" she hissed at Paul.

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself," I said, not able to take my eyes off of Bella.

Paul ignored both of us. Instead, he stepped up to Carlisle and looked down at Bella.

"Oscar thought that he could combine werewolf and vampire DNA and create a treatment for his wife. Edward was the only one who came even close to being successful. He was able to fight off the flu and regain his humanity. But Oscar couldn't re-create the success that he had with Edward. Then, Oscar found out about Bella and how her immune system seems to be able to fight against Edward's supernatural virus. He thinks she's the key now. He thinks that if she is inoculated with Edward's virus a little at a time, her blood might be able to create a defense against it which then could be used as a treatment for different illnesses. Almost like a vaccination," Paul said.

Carlisle stepped away from a comatose Bella and looked intently at Paul.

"Why are you telling us this, Paul?" Carlisle asked suspiciously.

"I agreed with Oscar's plan at first, but after a while his insane hatred of all things supernatural changed him. Instead of being happy with the results of his experimentation on Edward, he became even more angry and started to torture him. I couldn't handle it, so I helped Edward escape. But Oscar suspected it was me, so he blackmailed me by turning my mother and threatening all of you. He told me that if I helped him get Edward back, he would use the cure on my mother after treating his wife. It was enough to keep me with him. Even though I hated him by this point, I loved my mother and all of you more. But the final straw was when he decided that he needed Bella. I've known Bella my whole life and she's innocent even though she's fallen in with bloodsuckers. I couldn't handle Bella being tortured in the same way that he's tortured every living thing that he's captured. So, I warned Edward, Emmett, and Jasper before the others caught me," he said, looking down at the ground.

"Is he right, Carlisle?" I asked, stepping forward. "Is that what's happening to Bella?"

"I think it's the best theory at the moment. She's always been different. She was immune to Edward, Aro, and even Jane. And now Bella seems to be fighting off the Spanish flu. If she were just a normal human, she would be dead by now."

"There's no treating her, is there Carlisle…" Esme stated hollowly.

"At this point, I don't think there is," he said, turning back to Bella and smoothing her hair back from her forehead. "But if she survives this, she might just be the one to supply the cure," he said, looking at her lovingly.

"You wouldn't happen to have any of Edward's blood on hand?" Paul said. "You could begin to inoculate her now."

Carlisle shook his head.

"Hopefully by the time she's fought off this infection, we'll have Edward back and we can take it from there," he tried to say confidently, but I could hear the doubt in his voice.

"So,all we can do is wait," Esme said, stepping up to Bella's bedside and taking her hand.


	41. Death

**EDWARD**

He was here... My enemy was close…

Hatred drowned out everything.

He needed to die.

I needed to kill him.

Lifting my head, I tried to catch his scent but the smell of _her_ blood permeated everything.

I struggled with conflicting desires to keep _her_ close and to kill my enemy. Both were powerful forces within me, but remembered pain and brutality won the battle. My mind imagined everything I could and would do to him, torture beyond his imagination.

When his howl called out to me, I left my mate… shoving the vampire… Carlisle… towards her. He would help her or I would kill him.

As I ran down the hall, I heard noises coming from behind closed doors that lined each wall. The creatures behind those doors were making sounds ranging from rage to madness. But my enemy was close and I had no time.

Suddenly, as I rounded a corner, one of my tormentors appeared in front of me. He'd been with my enemy while he'd inflicted pain upon pain on me... Paul… The need to kill flared within me, distracting me from my mission, but my pack mates got in the way. I raged against them, trying to reach my tormentor.

I didn't want to hurt my pack mates. I remembered feelings of loyalty but if they got between me and my enemy, they would die too.

Hearing a voice call a name… my name, I whipped towards it with a snarl.

But this face brought back a slew of memories some of anger, but a clearer memory stood out of the two of us standing on the shore of a lake, laughing and skipping rocks.

Jacob was not my enemy, so I returned to my mission, leaving my pack to trail behind me.

I could smell my enemy now. He wasn't far.

But as I moved towards him, the call of predator to prey started to weaken. The primitive inside me retreated from my thoughts as sunrise approached.

Now, blind hatred turned calculating as my memories returned. I realized I needed to kill Oscar before the moon set and he shifted back to his human form. As a wolf, he was even more dominated by instinct than I was. However, as a thinking-human, he was the most devious person I'd ever known. Having studied me for years, he probably knew my weaknesses better than I did.

With the return of my rational mind, the thoughts of others started to flood my mind too.

At first, it was like a tidal wave crashing in on me.

The tormented thoughts of the other vampires that surrounded me were beyond imagining-voice upon voice of tortured souls desperately trying to get out. All with the driving need to feed. That desire brought back the taste of Bella's blood to my lips, but I pushed my need for her to the background.

Once I'd filtered through all of these thoughts an undercurrent of emotions from one source came through. They were the drive to hunt, to kill, to destroy… me.

I tried to run faster needing to find the owner of these thoughts, but with the rising of the sun I felt the strength of the predator leaving me. My rational mind told me that my humanity was trying to reassert itself, and for once I prayed that it didn't.

My need to get to Oscar was even more desperate now, knowing that my chance to kill him was retreating quickly with my supernatural strength.

I spun around a corner, not caring that other members of Oscar's pack might be between us because I would take all of them down if I needed to. Oscar's death had to be at my hands.

Reaching the end of the hallway, I saw a set of double doors, which were ominously propped open. But without hesitation, I plowed through the doorway, knowing that my enemy was on the other side.

When I saw Oscar standing only a few feet away from me growling with saliva dripping from his jaws, I was momentarily stunned.

Even though I'd never seen Oscar in his werewolf form, I knew it was him- a human face shaped to look like a wolf, stretched and lumpy with protruding fangs. However, his cold blue human eyes stared out at me from the monster's face with intelligence and cunning.

The beast in me roared as I sprang on Oscar with a fury which surprised us both. Within his reach, I sank my teeth into the only part I could reach, his arm, ripping out handfuls of fur as I scrabbled to get closer. At the same time, Oscar tried to crush me by trying to wrap his arms around me.

Too close for comfort I broke away, but not before Oscar took the chance to slip past my defenses and slash at my throat with his teeth. Luckily I was able to dodge his attack which caused me to laugh even though there was nothing funny about this moment.

Oscar was whining with sheer rage and eagerness as we circled back and forth looking for another chance to spring in. But no matter how I circled, Oscar whirled around on his heels to face me, mane bristling, ears laid back, lips writhing and snarling.

I realized, suddenly, that I still couldn't hear his thoughts which always gave me a tactical advantage. Either I couldn't hear his thoughts while he was in wolf form or he'd learned how to block me after years of studying me. I could tell that he was thinking behind those human eyes, but all I got from him were raw emotions.

Without even realizing what was happening, I found myself flat on my back with Oscar on top of me. He weighed more than I did, so I found myself sucking in deep breaths of air that seemed devoid of oxygen. But the subsequent tunnel vision that threatened to take away my sight caused me to thrash as hard as I could as his claws gouged my chest and legs.

Before he could do significant damage, I slammed my forearm against his throat in what would have been a killing blow for a human. But beyond a choking gurgle, he merely yanked himself away from me and staggered a distance away.

Leaping at me again, Oscar knocked me off balance, but this time he grabbed my leg as I fell and twisted causing the bone to crack. Pain ripped through me, but I scrambled away and to my feet again.

While I wasn't exactly human anymore, some of my human weaknesses had clearly returned. I bled, felt pain and with a sinking feeling I realized that Oscar was stronger than me.

Lunging again, he sunk his claws into my neck, gouging great holes as he pulled me towards him. But instead of allowing the pain to take hold of me, I tried to fool him by pretending to pull away hard. The minute I felt him yank me back towards him I shoved forward. Our combined force allowed me to knock him to the ground and roll away.

But instead of returning to the fight, Oscar pulled himself to his feet and bolted towards a door on the opposite side of the room.

With one deformed hand, he hit a red button on the wall which emitted a loud crackle like the sound of a walkie-talkie.

Everything seemed to stand still as I watched his muzzle fall open and his tongue loll out in what looked almost like a grin before a single almost incomprehensible word came from him.

"Now," he said in what could only be described as a gurgle.

A loud buzzing followed by a whoosh sounded out as the doors to all the cells behind me opened at once.

For a moment, everything was frozen; even the vampires' thoughts were shocked into silence at their sudden freedom. However, as I spun towards the hallway, almost as one emaciated vampires with blood red eyes poured out of their cells.

I was surprised to see that Emmett and Rosalie had at some point during my fight with Oscar entered the room. They were now spreading out, trying to prepare themselves for an oncoming battle that they had no hope of winning on their own. They were no match for the desperate starvation that gave these vampires the power to destroy anything blocking them from their food.

At least fifteen vampires were pushing and trying to climb over each other to get through the doorway first.

I didn't understand at first why they weren't running away, but the burning hunger in their eyes told me that there was something in this room that they wanted. It dawned me after a fraction of a second that it was me, the remaining human blood circulating through my veins was driving them into a frenzy.

I wasn't scared. It was as if all fear had been drained out of me, leaving only pain and rage.

It was at this moment that it occurred to me that I'd forgotten about my enemy. Foolishly, I'd turned my body so that I was facing the starving vampires, forgetting for a moment that Oscar and I had been in a kill or be killed battle.

I spun back towards where he'd last been and saw that the door on the opposite wall was swinging slightly showing me that Oscar had gone through it only moments ago.

But at that very same moment, something crashed into my back, throwing me against the wall and then to the floor face first. A weight pressed down on my back and neck, keeping my face to the ground.

Slicing pain ripped through me as I felt teeth puncture my skin between the juncture of my neck and shoulder followed by the searing pain of venom as a vampire on top of me began to drink. But before it could drink very much, it was ripped away.

Rolling quickly onto my back, I saw Emmett standing over me.

I was stunned, not only by the sting of the venom spreading through me, but also by Emmett's injuries.

There were great cracks in his left cheek and forehead, but even more horrifying was the fact that his left arm from the elbow down was missing.

Pulling me to my feet with his right hand, he shoved me towards the door that Oscar had exited.

But I couldn't move because I was afraid that I would be leaving him and Rosalie to their deaths.

"Go, Edward! Kill Oscar! The others will be here soon!" he yelled at me.

And as if he'd predicted it, Jasper and Alice came through the doorway, each immediately taking on a vampire that was rabid to get to me. I hadn't realized that Emmett and Rosalie had not been fighting for their lives, but putting themselves in danger in order to keep the vampires away from me.

"I can't leave you!" I cried out desperately.

"Yes you can! Go! We'll be along once we've cleaned up here," he practically shouted over his shoulder as he grappled with another vampire who was trying to reach me. "If you think you can't kill him, keep him busy until we get there."

With a snarl of desperation, I spun away from him and bolted out the door. When I made it through, I saw that I was at the foot of a set of stairs that seemed to lead up to an external door with the natural light of a sunny day filtering in.

I followed, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with him. The blood loss from the multitude of bites and claw marks accompanied by the pain in my leg was draining the energy out of me. I had to take the steps one at a time because with each step it felt like the edges of my cracked thigh bone were grinding together.

So when I finally stepped out into the morning sun, I knew that my time had run out. Either Oscar was in the midst of his change or he was back in his human form.

I had nothing to go on once I'd reached the outside besides my sense of smell. Remnants of the predator had stayed with me, but they were weaker.

I couldn't sense his thoughts which confirmed that he'd learned how to block me. I knew he was in his human form by now, so his thoughts should have been clear.

I inhaled and tried to separate Oscar's scent from the multitude of shifter scents that overlaid everything. Finally, I smelled him, but it was faint, leading off into the darker part of the woods.

In a shambling run, I took off after him. As I got further away from the compound, I smelled his blood. He was injured which caused me to grin. I'd apparently done some damage which hopefully would slow him down.

As the smell of his blood grew stronger, I moved more carefully, avoiding dead leaves and other obstacles that could give away my location.

When I finally found him, he was crouched in a clearing, eyes darting from left to right. As I watched, he shifted position, turning south, surveying the forest, then rotating north and checking from that viewpoint, never leaving his back to any direction for long.

His naked body shone with sweat from the exertion of his change, but his eyes looked anything but exhausted, they looked calculating.

"It's you, isn't it," Oscar called out as he scanned the trees for me.

"If I hadn't known your scent, I would've thought that you were a wild animal. I never expected that you'd be the one to kill my men when I sent them to retrieve you. Two of my best men killed by my very own creation," he gloated. "Even in my wolf form, I knew you. You changed too, didn't you… I could see it in your eyes and from your blood caked body. You changed when the moon was rose," he grinned, his eyes alight with excitement.

"I'm not your creation," I snarled, stepping out of the trees and into the clearing.

Oscar's grin got even bigger which caused a gash in his lip to break open and blood to gush out.

"I'm a little shocked that you would choose to enter my home... Looking for your girl, I guess... Brave, but dumb. You entered my kingdom and I've now laid waste to your family and friends. My other vampires aren't as well-behaved as you are. Hunger will do that I guess."

Worry for my family returned, but I had one mission I couldn't deviate from. I had to destroy this monster or none of us would ever be safe again. Bella was with Carlisle and Esme and Jasper and Alice were with Emmett and Rosalie. I had to pray that that was enough.

"Yes, I know your family is strong and smart. Not great odds for my side, but I expect them to get better. My vampires in the east wing should be arriving at Bella's location right about now. I made sure that there was only one route that they could go when their cages opened. I expect that they'll be even more rabid for Bella's blood than they are for yours, don't you think?" he sneered.

"If only you had honoured our arrangement, your family wouldn't be about to die. I told you that I needed you to cure my wife and in return I would let your family live. But you and Paul broke that promise. I thought you loved your family more than that. I guess I was mistaken."

I turned my head, looking back in the direction I came. I had to go back for Bella. Her life was more important than my need for revenge.

While my attention was distracted, Oscar took the opportunity to grab a hold of a branch of a large oak tree that he'd edged towards during our conversation.

"Oh, it's too late to get to her now," he said as he climbed the tree. "There are a lot of vampires between you and her and your injuries are going to slow you down. You've abandoned her in your desire for revenge... Welcome to my world... With your escape, my hopes for curing my wife went with you. Now revenge is all I have. You're my creation- my monster molded in my image…"

"I'M GOING TO RIP YOU APART!" I screamed, dashing towards the tree where he was hidden in the foliage.

A loud crack rang out as something slammed into my shoulder with an explosion of pain. Whatever it was, hit me with such a force that it spun me on my heel, but I righted myself and kept going. Once I'd reached the bottom of the tree, I began to climb by grabbing the nearest branch that I could reach.

Another bang rang out and this time I felt something whoosh past my cheek.

As I looked up through the foliage, I caught a glimpse of something black in Oscar's hands as he crouched on some kind of platform.

"A gun, Oscar? How very human of you…" I taunted.

"Well, we're both weak humans now. I'm smart enough to know that I have to use whatever advantage that I can get until the full moon tonight," he hissed, his pride stung by my words.

"You think a gun is going to stop me," I grunted as I climbed even higher. "You tortured me and hurt the woman I love. Being shot isn't going to stop me."

"We'll see," he grinned again.

Another shot rang out, and this time I felt it tear a furrow down my chest until it burrowed a hole in my upper thigh which was bent as I climbed.

I screamed with pain through gritted teeth and my foot slipped, but somehow I held on and regained my footing.

My injuries were going to kill me. I was sure of it. But I had to do this one last thing for Bella and my family. I brought Oscar into their lives and I had to be the one to take him out.

I practically sighed with relief when I heard the sounds of clicking as Oscar scrambled to reload his gun. From the muttered cursing, Oscar's cockiness about being superhuman meant that he wasn't as familiar with weapons as his guards were.

It was only after I reached the platform that I heard the click click as Oscar finished loading. However, by that time, I was under the platform, my back braced up against it as I crouched on two large branches for support.

I heard Oscar's creaking footsteps as he moved towards the edge of the platform to try to take aim at me under it.

"Do you really think this is going to work, Edward? You can't stay there forever. I'm sure blood loss is making you weaker by the second. I can wait you ou-"

I slammed my back upwards against the underside of the platform with all my might the minute Oscar was close enough to the edge. With a great lurch, the platform buckled upwards and Oscar tumbled off the edge, falling towards the ground and hitting branches on his way by.

I swung myself out of the tree as fast as I could, leaping out of the lowest branches in my hurry to get to Oscar. I landed on my feet, but my right leg couldn't hold me and I collapsed to the ground.

The pain was excruciating, but I ignored it as I crawled towards Oscar.

Blood frothed at his lips, but in his eyes I saw no resignation. He was as frantic to kill me as I was to kill him.

I was desperately looking for a finish now. I was having trouble remaining conscious, but Oscar was struggling even more. I could tell by the bloody froth on his lips that he was on death's door, but that was too good for him. I needed him to die at my hands.

Oscar couldn't get to his feet. He was barely able to roll over as he tried to reach for his gun that was only a few feet away.

Before I could stop him, a large boot landed on the gun and kicked it away.

I looked up at the owner with blurry eyes.

"Kill him, Edward," Emmett growled through clenched teeth.

He was horribly injured, more than I'd seen any vampire who wasn't on the verge of being thrown on a bonfire. His arm was gone, a large chunk was taken out of his neck and his face had not yet healed.

I nodded once and continued to crawl to my enemy.

Once I'd reached Oscar's side, I pulled myself to my knees, my head swimming.

"You can kill me," he gurgled as I turned him over onto his back, "but the damage is already done. I've already infected your woman… I'm the only chance she has," he finished, his eyes looking feverishly into mine.

"He's right, Edward. Bella needs him," Alice murmured behind me.

I hesitated. I couldn't risk Bella's life.

"No, Edward. Oscar will never help her. Hurting her is his ultimate revenge. That's the only thing driving him now," Jasper responded in his soft voice.

His words solidified my resolve.

Instead of begging for his life, Oscar's eyes flared with rage.

"Do you remember… beg…ging for yy…our life, Edward?" he hissed, bloody spittle flying from his lips. "You c…cc…ried like a bbbba…by for your Bella…" he sneered through the pain as dark red blood replaced the bloody froth.

The last of my strength exploded out of me with rage at what this person, this monster, had done to me and my family.

"Yo…u ccc…cri…ed when you k…illed… that m…mm…an innnnn yourrrr c…cell, but you sstttill kkk…illed hhimm. You're a blood sssucking monster."

I wrapped my hands around his neck and began to squeeze. It wouldn't take much. He was right on the edge of the abyss.

I leaned down close to his ear, ignoring the vertigo.

"Then, I guess I'll see you in hell," I hissed and squeezed with all my might.

His hands scrabbled for a moment trying to pry my fingers off his neck before they dropped limp and the light flickered out of his eyes.

I collapsed on my side, all my strength expended.

Every part of me that had been blazing with pain seemed distant now.

Someone dropped down next to me and I forced myself to look up into their face.

"Where is she, Alice?" I gasped. "I need her…"

"It's okay, Edward," she said, her hand gently touching my head. "We'll get you to Bella."

With a sigh, I let the darkness take me.

* * *

**A/N: Please drop me a line and let me know what you think of this chapter. It has taken me the longest to write and I'm really nervous about it. Any feedback would be awesome!**


	42. Reunited

**A/N: Well, we're getting towards the end folks. Only a few chapters left... Hope you enjoy.**

**PAUL**

"What's that?!"Jacob exclaimed, as a loud buzzing erupted through the room and down the hallway.

"It's an alarm," Esme said, a quiver of fear in her voice.

I barely heard her voice because panic worse than I'd ever felt hit me.

"It's the alarm signalling that the doors of the cells are open," I said, my whole body tensing with terror.

"What do you mean?" Jacob gasped.

"Just what I said... It's an alarm that says that the locks on the cell doors have been released! We have to get out of here!" I practically shouted, jumping to my feet. "They'll be here any second."

I dashed towards Bella and tried to lift her into my arms but Carlisle grabbed a hold of my wrist and held me in place.

A growl ripped from my throat at his touch, but he held firm.

"What do you think you're doing?" Esme snarled, stepping to my side.

"We've got to leave. The vampires will have smelled Bella's blood by now!" I hissed, trying to pull my arm from his grip. I didn't have time to explain. I knew that the vampires would be on their way. The only chance that we had was to get out before they reached us.

"What are you talking about?" Jacob demanded, trying to pull Bella from my grip.

In desperation, I considered leaving them all behind. I remembered the rage and insanity that I'd seen on the security monitors. The rabid vampires would tear us apart if they reached us.

But my guilt held me in place. All of this was my fault. I brought Oscar into everyone's lives. Even my hatred for bloodsuckers seemed to pale in comparison to what I'd brought down upon my loved ones. When Rachel died, I didn't care about anything except for my rage. But once the rage had died down to a dull burn, I realized that I'd dug myself in way too deep. I'd let myself get sucked in to Oscar's madness and in turn my mother was bitten and my pack was in danger.

I had to convince them to leave with me and I had very little time.

"Edward wasn't the only vampire Oscar was keeping. He created around thirty-five with Edward's venom and he's barely fed them. They'll be starving and on high alert for any scent of blood," I tried to explain.

"They'll be able to smell Bella's blood from the complete other end of the compound," Carlisle exclaimed with horror.

"We have to get her out of here…" Esme said, gripping Carlisle's arm tightly.

Carlisle pried my hands hands away from Bella and lifted her gently into his arms.

But before we'd even reached the door, I froze as I heard them coming down the hall.

Our time for escape was over. We were all going to die.

* * *

**EMMETT**

"We'll never get there before them," Alice whispered as she ran behind me.

"Is that a vision?" I asked, hoping beyond hope that her visions had returned.

"No. It's an educated guess," she growled.

Jasper was the least injured between the three of us, so he raced ahead playing scout while Alice covered the rear.

I had Edward slung over my shoulder, gripping him tightly with my one arm. It was difficult to find my balance, but I soon fell into an easy rhythm as we flew down the maze of corridors.

I had to keep my head in the game, but my thoughts kept returning to Rose. We'd had to leave her in one of the cells because her injuries were too severe. One of the vampires had ripped off my Rosie's left leg and we weren't able to find it under the carnage. Knowing we had to get to Edward as fast as possible, I helped her to a cell and closed the door, hoping that she'd be safe until I could return.

"She'll be okay, Em. We made sure the door was secure," Alice murmured behind me.

"I know…" I responded, suppressing my urge to return to her because I knew that Carlisle, Esme, Bella, and Edward needed me more at the moment.

"Shouldn't we have left him with her?" I asked, knowing that she'd know I meant Edward.

"Probably. But I promised to bring him and he'd never forgive us if we ignored him."

Before we even made it to the last corner that would lead us to the operating room, I could smell and hear them.

Jasper had skidded to a halt in front of us as he waited for us to catch up.

I peeked around the corner to see what we were up against.

The vampires were piled in the doorway and the hall to the operating room shoulder to shoulder and in some cases almost on top of each other as they fought to get into the room first. The hall was narrow, only wide enough for two of us to attack them at once.

"What now?" I whispered, knowing that in their feeding frenzy they probably woudn't register my voice but I couldn't be too careful.

"We can't be strategic about this. My instinct would be to lure some of them away, but in their feeding frenzy there's nothing that will distract them from the blood. We'll have to plow forward and try to wipe out as many of them as we can before they take notice of us," Jasper said, stepping to Alice' side.

I knew what he was thinking. There was very little room for us to kill them. We'd been at a disadvantage against the fifteen vampires that had attacked us before, but we'd at least had the space to fight.

Now we were all injured and there was only space for us to fight two at a time.

I dropped Edward to the floor, jarring him awake.

"Whh… what?" Edward slurred trying to force himself awake.

"Ed… wake up. We have a situation, bro…" I said, my brain running a mile a minute as I tried to figure out our next step.

Edward forced himself to a sitting position and looked up at me his eyes slowly losing their vacant look.

"There are about fifteen vampires between us and the rest of our family. We're way outnumbered," I said, poking my head around the corner again, trying to find any way we could get the advantage.

"What's the plan?" he rasped, pulling himself to his feet, pain etched across his face.

"We don't have one…" Jasper said, his eyes never leaving Alice.

"The only thing we can do is push forward and try to get as many vampires out of the doorway as possible in order to give the people in the room a fighting chance. Hopefully, once that happens Carlisle and Esme can join in," I explained.

"Bella's still alive. I can hear her heart beating from here. I have to get to her," Edward murmured.

The scent of Bella's blood was thick in the air which caused me to shudder as venom filled my mouth. I was used to her scent, but I knew that the starving vampires would be rabid for her.

"You should stay here, Edward," I said even though I knew it was futile.

"No chance in hell," he growled, pushing himself off the wall and calling on every bit of reserve strength to prepare himself.

"You can't fight Edward. Even if you still have some supernatural ability, you're not strong enough," Jasper stated calmly.

"Don't you think I know that?!" he growled. "I know I can't kill them, but I'll watch for an opening. When I see a clear path, I'll get into the room with Bella. I don't care what it takes. I need to protect her, but I'll hold back until I get the chance."

"Okay…" I said with a deep breath. "Let's Go," I growled and plowed around the corner and into the throng.

I knew that their thirst was our biggest ad advantage right now. We had to take out as many of them as possible before they knew what was happening.

Jasper and I were the first ones to reach them.

I grabbed the nearest vampire and ripped its head off its body and threw it out of the way. I was too slow because without my arm I needed to pin the vampire against the wall with my body and tear off its head with the other. Jasper had already killed two before they even started to notice our attack. At first, most of them didn't even react when the others started to die around them, but when they did the ones at the back spun towards us almost in annoyance.

I grabbed another of them and dragged backwards, giving Alice a chance to attack as well.

This one was putting up more of a fight, but my size and its weakness from lack of food balanced out my lack of an arm. I gripped it in a choke hold and then bit into its neck trying to tear off its head. It struggled against me, but was unable to break my hold. I tore its head away and tossed it to the side and its body to the other.

However, faster than I thought they would, more started noticing us and turning to fight.

Two of them pushed me up against the wall and started to savage me. I was able to fight one, but the other was attacking my vulnerable side.

Then I heard a sound that would have brought tears to my eyes if I were human.

"Emmett and the others are out there. They're attacking from the outside. We need to help. Esme, take Bella!" Carlisle shouted.

The vampires surged backwards into the hall as Carlisle and the others attacked.

* * *

**PAUL**

The others pushed forward into the battle, leaving Esme who was holding Bella, and me behind. There wasn't enough room for us all to get out the door, so my only choice was to hold back until I saw an opening.

I'd just stepped forward in order to enter the fray as a gap appeared in the fight that was pressed against the doorway, but before I could get out of the room another figure was blocking it.

The person leaned heavily against the doorway to the room, before staggering forward.

I let out a snarl, preparing to attack.

"No, Paul! It's Edward!" Esme shouted.

Once he'd lurched into the light I saw that she was right, but he looked like he was barely alive. I hadn't seen him since I'd warned him about Sue in the woods and even then I only got a brief glimpse of him.

He looked like he'd lost at least fifteen pounds, maybe twenty. The dark circles under his eyes and his sunken cheeks made him look skeletal. He was covered in blood and had a large array of injuries, some of which even looked like bullet holes. I was shocked that he was even able to stand up on his own. But when his eyes focused on Bella, he pulled on a reserve of energy and pushed his way to her.

I was nervous at first because I couldn't tell whether he was still a rabid animal like he'd been in the woods. But the look in his eyes as he staggered towards Bella was as familiar to me as breathing. It was the look that Rachel and I'd had when we'd looked at each other.

_She'd always worn her hair in a ponytail unless we were fooling around. I'd loved how her long silky black hair had curtained our faces as she hovered over me, like our own private oasis._

_She'd had the most beautiful oval face with slanted deep brown eyes that burned with a fire that all the Black's had. But I'd loved her even before I'd seen her. I was sitting in the kitchen with Jake when she'd gotten back from university for the summer. The front door slammed open and I heard a shout. "I'm home!" Her voice was like a homing beacon. I stood up and practically ran to her and then when I saw her, my whole world narrowed until it was focused solely on her. I almost dropped to my knees at her feet at the sheer overwhelming feeling of love that flooded me, but I held on because the last thing that I could do was scare her. I had to convince her to love me. It needed to be my sole mission. _

I saw the same love in Edward now. He took one step and then another and another towards Bella, looking like he was almost falling instead of walking. By the time he'd reached her, he was on his knees at Esme's feet.

Esme crouched down next to him, letting him reach out for Bella. Gently, he took Bella and held her to his chest, burying his face in her hair. With a look of great tenderness, Esme ran a hand through Edward's hair.

I looked away from the intimacy, my eyes landing on the doorway just in time to see a vampire and then two and then three pour into the room.

"Esme…" I warned, as I took a step between the snarling vampires and the others.

I growled at them, attracting the notice of one of the vampires, but not the other two.

As I prepared for the fight, I felt Esme step to my side.

"I'll take the one on the left and you take the right. We'll let the one in the middle decide which one of us kills him," I snarled.

I killed mine quickly, partly because of the pent up rage that I'd been feeling, but also because it was so focused on Bella that its defenses were weak. But when I turned to grab the other one, I saw that two more had entered the room.

With Esme occupied with her vampire, the new vamps were getting closer to Edward and Bella.

I realized that I needed to get the two of them out of here. We were fish in a barrel in this room and I was worried that the vamps were gaining too much ground.

Instead of joining Esme in the fight, I dashed to Edward and Bella.

"We need to get you out of here!" I said, grabbing Edward's shoulder.

Edward looked up at me, his eyes wide as if he'd forgotten where he was.

"We're close to the exit, but these vamps are getting too close for comfort. I need to get you out of the building. Then, we'll have a fighting chance," I said, trying to pull him to his feet.

With great difficulty, Edward stood up with Bella. He swayed for a moment, but then gritted his teeth and righted himself.

"Paul, they're right behind you!" Esme shouted.

"I whipped around and saw that Esme was being overwhelmed by two vampires but the other two were within reaching distance.

With a snarl, I grabbed one of them and threw it against the wall, giving me the chance to kill the other. I grabbed it in a headlock over my shoulder and then wrenched upwards with all my strength. A screech of metal rang out and the body dropped to the ground its head still in my arms.

I threw its head against the opposite wall and turned to the other. It flew at me, but I was prepared. I threw it to the ground and stepped on its chest, ripping its head off as well.

I turned to Esme, ready to help, but she didn't need it. She'd already destroyed one and was working on the other.

So, I went back to Edward and Bella.

"Which way do we go?" Edward said in a raspy voice.

"Once we get out into the hallway, turn right. It's only a few corridors down. I'll lead the way and Esme can bring up the rear."

I looked back towards Esme in time to see her disposing of the last vampire.

"Let's go," she said, walking to Edward and Bella's side.

"Are you okay to carry her, sweetheart?" she asked Edward, reaching out to touch him.

Without warning, he growled at her and pulled Bella closer as anger flared in his eyes.

Esme took a step back in shock.

"E… Ed…" she began, but then stopped.

As fast as it came, the fire in Edward's eyes was gone.

"I'm sorry, Esme. I can't control it," Edward said with chagrin.

"It's okay, son. I won't touch her," she said, but I saw a look of concern flicker in her eyes.

"Come on," I said, edging towards the doorway.

Listening at the door, I heard the commotion of snarling and thuds as the fight continued on, but this time it sounded farther away. It gave me hope that we might be able to get out of the room and down the hall without being attacked.

I quickly crept out the door, looking left to see how the others were faring.

I was disturbed to see that the Cullens and Jake were still outnumbered by the vampires. They must have been more injured than I thought.

"Carlisle," Esme gasped from behind me.

I spun towards her and then followed her eyes to where a swatch of pale blonde hair showed underneath a pile of vampires.

She looked towards me with agonized eyes.

"Go," I said to her. "I'll get them out of here."

She looked at Edward and Bella one more time and then flew towards her mate, trying to yank the vampires off of him.

"We need to keep moving," I said, leading Edward and Bella away from the fight as fast but quietly as possible.

* * *

We were almost at the exit when I smelled a shifter. One of Oscar's pack was waiting for us.

I shuddered at the knowledge that I'd have to kill whoever it was. I'd been a part of Oscar's pack for years, but whoever the shifter was I knew it was either kill or be killed.

"There is a shifter ahead of us," I said to Edward and Bella who were behind me.

"I'm going to have to kill him or her, but the shifter is stronger than me. It's gonna get ugly, but you need to stay out of it," I said to him.

He didn't speak, but his silence was enough of an agreement, so I forged ahead.

When I saw her, my heart sank. I'd been close to Sarah. She was like me. We'd both lost loved ones, but we'd often felt conflicted by the pack's choices.

"Paul…" Sarah said as we got closer. She looked so sad, but also stead-fast. I knew that she'd try to kill me if I attempted to get Edward and Bella out of the compound.

"I'm so sorry, Sarah. I had no choice," I said, sadly.

"I know you didn't and neither do I," she said and launched herself at me, shimmering into her wolf form in mid-air.

I hit the ground and rolled causing Sarah to fly over me. In my human form, I was no match for her, but two shifters in this hallway would mean certain death for Edward and Bella.

I had to keep myself between Sarah and Edward and Bella. My strength would be able to at least give them a fighting chance. So instead of trying to get away, I turned back to Sarah.

Edward was pressed up against the wall, trying to keep away from her. But at the same time, he was edging along the wall, so that he could get closer to the door.

I threw myself at Sarah who was now focused on Edward and Bella, but it was like slamming into a brick wall.

I didn't stop though. I shoved at her again, but with a swipe of her paw, she slammed me against the wall.

It winded me and stars appeared in front of my eyes, but thankfully my attack had re-focused her attention on me.

With a growl, she swiped her claw across me in an attempt to shove me backwards, but when I didn't budge she sliced my chest.

With a whine she tried to turn back to Edward and Bella, but I launched myself at her again, jumping on her back.

During our fight Edward had been able to move half way down the hallway.

He could make it on his own. I knew he could. I just had to give him time.

I leaped off of Sarah and ran to Edward.

I saw a light ahead of us which told me that the door to outside was right around the corner. My instinct was to run towards the light, but I knew that we wouldn't get far.

I turned to Edward and said, "Go…"

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"We won't get far with her chasing us. You need to run and I'll cover you. Go to Jacob's lake. The others will look for you there."

"Paul, you can't do this…" he pleaded. "Come with us…"

"Tell my parents I love them and I hope that the pack can forgive me," I said and shoved Edward towards the door.

I turned back towards Sarah whose fur bristled as her lip curled back from her teeth.

I knew I was about to die, but I wasn't afraid.

Because I heard it… the sound of Rachel's laugh echoing through my head…


	43. Blood Bond

**A:N/ This chapter has a lot of blood in it. If you're squeamish, I apologize in advance.**

**EDWARD**

Tree branches and roots reached up to tangle me, doing all they could to bring me down. I tried to fight against them but it was difficult because I was trying to protect Bella at the same time.

Weaving through the trees, I growled in desperation because I wasn't fast enough. Bella was running out of time. She was like a burning brand in my arms as her temperature skyrocketed. That's how the end began with the Spanish flu. The congestion followed by a searing heat that seemed to almost boil a person from the inside.

I could feel hot blood trickling down my shoulder and my thigh from the bullet holes and they were not my only injuries, but I had to be strong. I had to fight.

So, I forced myself past the blood loss, the dizziness, the pain, heading in the general direction of the lake, hoping that it would be a safe haven for us once again.

Oscar was gone, his life taken by my own hands. It couldn't have happened any other way. He needed to die if I wanted us to ever be safe and I needed to be the one to kill him. I shuddered at the memory of seeing his life flicker out in his eyes. It was not a good feeling. To look into someone eyes at the moment of their death, a death that you were carrying out was sickening. I'd never killed anyone without the monster being in control. But in the moments before his death, I knew it had to be me. I'd brought him into the lives of my loved ones, so it was my responsibility to take him out.

With the end of Oscar, I thought that things would be better. I'd hoped that I'd only imagined Bella's suffering through the haze of the monster's control, but I was wrong. She was going to die if I didn't do something.

I nuzzled into her hair as I ran, praying that she'd stay with me.

But finally the trees took me down. Stumbling over a root, I fell to my knees, jerking Bella against me as I fought to hold on.

My breath caught in my throat, as she moaned and flinched in my arms at the impact. I looked down at her in anticipation of her waking up, but beyond a string of weak coughs there was no other reaction.

Pulling her up to my face, I whispered into her ear, "Bella can you hear me?"

But she didn't answer.

Forcing myself to my feet, I continued to run even though every step was getting harder and harder as the pain started to overtake me.

"Hold on, Bella," I said through gritted teeth. "We're almost—" I began, but then a smell hit me pulling me up short.

I looked down at Bella and saw that blood had once again frothed on her lips, making my stomach growl involuntarily.

Jerking my head up, I focused on getting her to the lake, but the monster inside had begun to whisper to me again.

…_. just a taste…. just a taste… just a taste…_

"I can't lose you Bella. I won't…" I said both pleading and reminding the monster that Bella was more important to me than my hunger.

Pulling on the monster's energy, I pushed myself to run faster to get to the lake. My hope was that the lake water would bring her temperature down and perhaps revive her.

Finally, I saw a break in the woods ahead and heard the faint sound of water lapping against the shore. When the woods opened up in front of us, I ran straight into the cold water, submerging both of us.

As she floated in the water, I let go of her with one arm and used my hand to cup water and pour it over her hair and face.

However, as the cold water numbed my pain, I found my myself losing focus, the sense of urgency fading.

Looking down at Bella, I was struck dumb. Her hair fanned out around her swaying in the water as the waves pushed her back and forth. Paired with her flushed cheeks, she was stunning.

As I leaned down to kiss her, she suddenly coughed, which brought everything back into focus. I shook my head, realizing that I must be in shock, like when a person is in an accident and suddenly all of their senses are heightened- colors brighter, sounds louder, blurring into a cacophony of noise.

I couldn't afford to give in to my shock. Every minute counted and I was the only thing that stood between Bella and the virus.

"Bella, please," I begged. "I won't live without you."

I poured more water over her face and hair and then gently slapped her cheeks, trying to wake her.

"Come on Bella. It can't end like this… Not after everything that has happened to us."

I looked out over the water desperately trying to think of what to do. The surface of the lake was so calm while I felt so out of control. It was beautiful with the colors of the setting sun reflecting on its surface.

At the sight, a thought hit me, one that should have been at the forefront of my mind.

With the sunset, I was going to lose myself again to the full moon.

I cried out in desperation.

"Oh God! What do I do?!"

I then screamed at the monster in me.

"You did this! Your blood poisoned her! We should have left her alone!"

… _one taste… just one taste… easy…. we won't be weak anymore… the blood makes us strong… just one taste…_

I tried to ignore the monster, but the thought of blood was soon taking over as the sun reached the horizon.

… _blood… her blood… intoxicating… rich… hypnotic… life…_

A thought suddenly broke through the whisperings of the monster.

I'd beaten the flu when no one else had. Bella was lasting longer than any human had when faced with the Spanish flu. What was different about us?

It must be in my blood. That was the only possibility.

I fought off the Spanish influenza with vampire and werewolf blood flowing through me, a perfect balance. Bella was fighting the flu now, but she seemed to be losing. Perhaps more of my blood would give her a fighting chance.

I knew that by giving her my blood she would be infected with whatever I had, but the selfish creature that I was couldn't handle thinking of a world without her.

I had to hurry. I felt the fire of the moon starting to burn through my veins as I dragged her to the shore and looked frantically around the beach for anything sharp.

Finding a piece of shale, without hesitation, I sliced my wrist.

"Bella, you need to drink. It'll make you feel better... Come on, … drink… Please Bella, wake up…"

I used my thumb to open her mouth and pressed my wrist against her lips. But it just pooled in her mouth making me afraid that I was too late, her body already shutting down.

But at the thought, I became angry. I shook her, forcing her mouth harder against my wrist.

"You will NOT die, Bella! Drink! DRINK!"

At first I thought I was imagining it, but then I felt a tugging at my skin. I felt her begin to draw the blood from my wrist at first weakly, but then with more strength. Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she grabbed my wrist pressing it to her, sucking hard. But her eyes were glassy and empty seeming which scared me more than anything I could imagine. This wasn't my Bella.

Slowly, however, I saw her eyes begin to lose the emptiness and a spark of the woman I love flickered in her eyes. They were wild, pupils dilated, cheeks flushed. She looked just like she did after we'd made love, causing me to smile in bemusement.

A halo seemed to appear around her as my eyes began to lose focus. She was the most beautiful creature that I'd ever seen. Her skin seemed to get hotter as mine grew colder, like holding a living flame in my arms.

Suddenly, Bella yanked her lips away from my wrist with a gasp, only to pull me to her by the nape of my neck.

A shiver wracked my body as I tasted blood and Bella on my tongue as she kissed me. She took my breath away and made me light-headed. I wanted to tell her this, but my lips felt numb and my tongue thick in my mouth. The edges of my vision started to go grey and with a sigh I tried to let go.

* * *

**BELLA**

It wasn't just the taste that brought me to my senses. The warm fluid mixed with something wilder flowed into me and it seeped into every part of me, mixing and melding with my bones and tissues. Changing me.

The strangling congestion began to loosen and I felt myself growing stronger making the taste of the rich fluid in my mouth even richer.

It was blood; I knew it and for some reason it didn't repulse me. On the contrary, it set my body to humming and pulsing, a burning pleasure that only seemed to build with every mouthful.

At that moment, a hunger filled me, but it wasn't for food. I wanted Edward, I needed him.

My eyes flew open in order to search for him and a shiver of pleasure ran down my spine as I saw his face only a few inches away.

I let go of the blood and pulled him towards me, devouring his mouth.

The deliciousness of the blood and _him_ made me moan. But as the contentment of being with my mate settled in, I realized that he'd gone limp.

I pulled away from him in confusion, looking him over for any injury and to my horror I saw the blood dripping from his wrist.

I pressed my hand against it trying to stop the flow.

He was pale, the flush of his humanity fading.

_What happened?_ I thought in panic.

Then, with growing horror, I realized that the scent of his blood in the air was the same as the taste in my mouth and the fire that was running through my veins.

With a scream of fear and horror, I realized that I was killing him.

"Oh God. What have I done?" I screamed.

At my shout, Edward's eyes flew open, but then with a weak unfocused smile he closed his eyes again and started to go limp again.

I whimpered clutching Edward to me, but he was cold and unresponsive this time.

He'd always told me that he couldn't live without me and that I'd move on, indicating my love was less than his. But it wasn't true. My future was _him_.

I looked down at the ground and saw a piece of rock that was covered in his blood. Suddenly, everything became crystal clear.

"You selfish bastard! You will not die and leave me here!" I yelled at him, angry that he was trying to give up his life for mine.

"Edward! Wake up! You can't do this!" I yelled again, shaking him.

In desperation, I decided that there was only one choice that would either bring him back to life or kill us both.

If his blood helped me, maybe I could give some back to him and the mix of both of ours could do the same for him.

Carlisle and even the doctor who had done surgery on me said that my blood had a unique property to defend against foreign material, so maybe it could do the same for Edward. Even before Edward's return, I'd been different. I was able to defend myself against Edward's mind reading, Jane's ability to hurt people. Maybe the combination of our blood would be the perfect storm- vampire, werewolf, and something other than human, could save him.

Using the same rock that he'd used, I sliced a cut across my carotid artery and then my wrist.

I pressed his wrist against mine, weaving our fingers together and pressed against the back of his head, so that his mouth was against my neck.

* * *

With Edward clutched in my arms, I prayed that soon he'd begin to feed. I didn't know what else to do.

As I sat there at the edge of the lake, I felt the power of the full moon awakening in my blood.

It was as if there was a voice calling to me, calling to me to come out and play.

I was different now. I knew that the full moon was going to bring out a monster in me as it did with Edward.

I was scared, but it also felt right.

I stared out across the lake, remembering our times here. They were the happiest of my life.

Floating in the water, laying on the beach, holding each other in our tent, laughing with our family… we were just us, without the supernatural world dictating our every action.

Would we ever have that again?

The full moon's call to me made me doubt it.

But it didn't matter. I would finally be Edward's mate- equal in every way.

My thoughts were suddenly broken off as Edward's teeth pierced me, sending a sizzling pain through my body.

Pulling on my skin, he began to swallow my blood in great mouthfuls.

Cradling his head, I allowed him to feed, thrilling at the groans and shudders coming from him.

But just before I felt myself on the point of drifting into unconscious, I pushed him away from me, breaking his hold.

I tensed in anticipation of Edward attacking me, but it never came.

His eyes were on fire as he looked at me, his breaths coming in pants from his blood lust, but he made no move towards me. I watched him for a few moments longer before closing my eyes and laying back on the beach in exhaustion.

If he attacked me now, I was no match for him.

We'd done it, for better or for worse, we were both alive.

I listened to the sounds around me as the moon's pull began to take over.

I sensed Edward approaching, long before he touched me. We were connected he and I, more than we'd ever been before.

Laying down, Edward nestled himself against me with a sigh of contentment and started to lick the wound on my neck.

A last thought echoed in my head before the moon took me away.

_He is mine as I am his._

* * *

**EDWARD**

_Looking up at the sky, I yield to the full moon, changing into a powerful predator. _

_Stained with blood, my wounds bleeding profusely, I thirst, I hunger. _

_But the pain is not so intense, as the hunger that burns inside of me, waiting to be quenched._

_She nuzzles into my neck with a purr, pulling away only to look to the sky._

_The full moon's rays illuminate her, spun in silver. _

_She sniffs the cool night air and the huntress takes over._

_She starts ahead while I follow, pursuing in a whispering run an unseen prey._

_Wanting and needing the blood, she runs sure-footed through the trees._

_We crawl side by side through the tall grass, senses on full alert for danger. _

_She shivers in anticipation as we close in. _

_I rub against her, nuzzling her neck, her anticipation fueling mine. _

_The prey is near. _

_I bolt towards the prey, trying to get to it before my mate. _

_I make it a competition._

_She flies by me, recognizing my plan, but I'm faster._

_I take a different route, heading off the prey as it senses my mate's approach._

_It is fast, but between my mate and me, the deer has no hope of survival._

_I will relinquish the first kill to her._

_She is my mate after all. _

* * *

…_..They're around here somewhere…. I can smell their blood everywhere…... _

…_.. Jesus….. It smells like a slaughterhouse…... I'll lose my fucking mind if I find them dead on the beach…._

…_. Edward, are you out there?... We're coming….._

…_.. Son, if you can hear me, we're coming to help….. Do not attack…. Fight the moon's pull on you…._

The buzzing sounds hurt my head, but I couldn't tune them out.

Flashes of faces streaked through my mind, as familiar to me as the face of my mate.

My pack was here.

My mate didn't understand. The pleasure of the hunt turned to aggressiveness as their scent reached us.

Dashing to her side, I tried to soothe her.

But she quivered with nervousness.

When they stepped from the forest, I growled a warning.

I would not let them disturb my mate.

…_. Okay, Edward… We'll keep our distance… Do you understand us?..._

She was small, no threat.

Her thoughts were familiar… she was important…. my sister… … Alice….

Another one stepped forward but this time I growled loudly in warning. He was large and strong. He could hurt my mate.

…_.. Hey, bro… remember me?... It's your big brother Emmett…. Come on, Edward… You know, I won't hurt you…. We're brothers….._

I saw flashes of myself and the big one running through the trees, sharing the hunt and… laughing?

I tried to remember more…

The sounds… they were words.

I listened more closely and the sounds became words and then sentences…..

… _We're here to help…. God, man… You look like something the cat dragged in….or else someone was having a blood fondue and you decided to swim in it….._

I tilted my head to the side and looked at the big one askance. With part of his arm missing, he was hurt worse than me.

I felt concern for him, my pack m—my brother.

"Em-"I tried to make the sounds. "…. you… okay?"

With a loud whoop, he ran towards us, causing me to crouch defensively and growl.

"N—nno… closer…" I warned.

Emmett skidded to a stop and raised his hands in front of him.

"Okay, Edward. I get it. Baby steps," he responded solemnly, but then followed it up with a wry grin.

Another man stepped forward, more familiar than even Emmett and Alice.

Looking into his eyes, I was confused by the mixed emotions I felt. Love and hatred warred against each other in my head.

"It's Carlisle, Edward. Is Bella okay?"

I tilted my head as I looked at him, still unsure about my feelings.

But at the sound of my mate's name, I looked down at her.

She was scared.

I crouched down next to her and wrapped her in my arms, letting my strength soothe her.

I looked back at Carlisle and then up at the moon.

"It ccc.. alls tttt...o her… to me…" I said, my only way to explain the call of the predator.

I heard gasps come from under the cover of the trees behind Carlisle, Emmett, and Alice, causing me to growl.

"Ah…" Carlisle said with a nod, ignoring my aggression. "Is she still feeling sick?"

Looking down at my mate with concern, I tilted her face up to me, searching.

But beyond the fear, she was whole.

"She… she's… fff… fffine…" I stuttered.

"Okay… Good…" he said with a sigh before sitting down on a rock on the other side of the clearing. His relaxed posture, made me relax somewhat, but I kept looking past him, trying to see who was hidden in the trees.

"There are a few others of us in forest. Do you want them to come out?" he asked hesitantly, which made me tense once again.

"Yessss," I growled, starting to take a step forward, but Bella's hold on me kept me still.

The first one who stepped out of the trees smelled of Carlisle, his mate… Esme.

The next was Emmett's mate. I thought hard for a name. Rose… Rosie… Rosalie… Yes, her name was Rosalie.

After a brief pause, the final one stepped out of the trees.

The minute he stepped out, I was on my feet with a snarl.

This one was dangerous. This one was a threat. I had to attack first.

I sprang into action, bolting across the field in order to intercept him before he got the upper hand.

I heard the voices of the pack, calling my name, but I didn't have time.

If I hesitated, he would take advantage of my weakness.

I slammed into him with all my might, knocking him into a tree.

Before he had time to right himself, I threw myself on top of him.

I tried to bite and claw at his exposed weaknesses, but each time I came close to a killing blow he would throw me off.

Out of breath, I paused, pacing back and forth in front of him snarling.

"Edward, it-" he began, but I lunged again before he could distract me.

It was at that moment, that I felt others surround us in a tight circle.

I growled menacingly at their betrayal.

Alice's voice pierced through my need to kill.

"Please, Edward. It's Jasper. You know him. He's your brother. He's not a threat!" she begged.

His name and face were familiar, but the feeling of danger when I looked at him was hard to suppress. I knew with every fiber of my being that he was a threat.

But then a sound reached me, causing the instinct to attack to evaporate.

My mate was frightened.

I broke free from the others and looked for her.

Rosalie was crouched next to Bella, trying to soothe her. But Bella growled and whimpered, trying to slowly edge away from her.

I flew to her side and pulled her against me and away from Rosalie.

She was hungry and afraid. She didn't understand what was happening.

"Shhh sheee needs…to hhh…unt…" I said to the others.

Pulling Bella to her feet, I walked us backwards towards the trees on the opposite side of the clearing.

"Do... ddo… not fff…follow… us," I said, as we stepped into the shade of the overhanging trees.

None of them made a move to follow, so as one Bella and I turned our backs and began the hunt once more.

As we put distance between ourselves and the rest of the pack. I heard Alice's thoughts.

…_. We'll be waiting brother…. Don't stay away too long…_


	44. No Going Back

**EMMETT**

The minute my brother and Bella retreated into the woods, I broke into a run, heading back towards where my heart really lay- Rose.

She'd told me to help Edward, saying that she was safe in the locked cell. But looking at her, my Rose, with one of her legs missing, carnage all around us, I couldn't bring myself to leave her. It went against every instinct in my being.

So I'd growled at her and refused. However, in Rose fashion she ordered me, saying that she wasn't a baby and could make decisions on her own. But what really convinced me was when she said that if Edward and Bella were killed while I was babysitting her, she'd never forgive _herself_.

No matter how much I loved my brother and Bella, I wouldn't have left Rose for anything less than that.

So, with one last kiss, I'd left her.

Now, with a wild desperation, I pushed myself harder, needing to get back to Rose. But my missing arm continued to throw me off balance, causing me to plow into trees. Growling in frustration, I stopped trying to avoid them because it only slowed me down more. So a wake of destruction spread out behind me, but I couldn't seem to find it in me to care. Rose was my priority.

So many things were flying through my head—concern for Rose's safety, but also worry about the future. Looking at an eternity with a missing arm and Rose a missing leg, I couldn't imagine it. Rose always said that one of the worst things about being a vampire for her was that nothing ever changed. We wouldn't grow older, have any milestone moments that commemorated events in our lives because we would always be the same—an eternity of sameness.

I couldn't imagine how she must be feeling now.

If we found our limbs, would it be too late to re-attach them? I'd never heard of any vampire who had experienced anything quite like ours.

I listened for Carlisle, wanting to ask him, but I was too far ahead of the others.

So I decided that the first step would be to see that Rose was safe. Then, look for our missing body parts once the others caught up.

Finally, I reached the compound. It was unearthly still, almost peaceful, a stark contrast to the carnage that I found inside.

Limbs were everywhere, a mass of squirming vampire flesh. The thought of vampire bits continuing to move after they'd been ripped off had always given me the creeps, but now I barely even saw them.

I kicked my way through twitching arms, legs, and heads as I oriented myself to where I'd left Rose.

Running down a corridor leading north, I suddenly found myself in the room where the battle had happened. Shuddering, I remembered the vampires pouring into the room, growling and panting for Edward's blood.

There had been so many of them pouring into the room that I'd looked desperately at Rose, knowing that we were no match for them.

And then they were upon us.

_Fighting as hard as I could, I tried to get to her so that we could stand shoulder to shoulder as we fought, but I had to fight against the tide of vampires hell-bent on going in the opposite direction. _

_I tried to ignore the pain as vampires tore into me because my only concern was getting to Rose. However, when one vampire sank its teeth into my shoulder and another just below my elbow, I couldn't ignore the tearing and wrenching. With a snarl, I whipped my arm out in an attempt to shake them off, and suddenly they were gone. I looked back at them expecting to see them preparing to attack me again, but what I saw instead filled me full of a horror that I'd never felt before. A vampire was standing a few feet away from me, holding my detached arm. _

_Without thinking, I started to go after it, but then I saw out of the corner of my eye, Edward falling under the weight of a vampire. It pinned Edward to the ground, biting into his neck which filled the air with even more of Edward's blood. _

_I changed direction in order to protect him. Luckily, I was able to yank it off of him before it was able to drink very much of his blood. _

_Freed from the vampire, Edward rolled over and looked up at me. I was beyond relieved to see that he was my brother again and not the monster that had taken him over. _

_Pulling him to his feet, I shoved him towards the door where I'd seen Oscar disappear. _

_He looked at me with indecision as the mass of vampires growled and struggled around us. _

"_Go Edward! Kill Oscar! The others will be here soon!" I yelled at him._

_"I can't leave you!" he cried out desperately._

_"Yes you can! Go! We'll be along once we've cleaned up here," I shouted back. "If you think you can't kill him, keep him busy until we get there."_

_Without waiting to see what he'd do, I spun on my heel and looked for Rose. _

_Panic strangled me when even with my keen eyesight, I couldn't find her._

"_Rose!" I roared._

_Near the door____ where the pack of vampires seemed the thickest_, I heard her calling for me faintly. 

_With a roar of rage, I leaped over two vampires that were reaching for me and plowed towards the sound of her voice. Throwing myself into the fray, I bit and clawed to get to her and with relief, I saw her face under the mass. _

_I burrowed under the mass and dragged Rose out from underneath, noticing for the first time that Jasper and Alice were with me, helping to keep the vampires at bay as I rescued her._

_At the sight of my Rose, I would have cried if I'd been able. Her left leg from the knee down was missing._

_I pulled her to me with my one arm and pushed through the remaining vampires still in the doorway. As I shoved them aside, I heard the familiar snarls of Jasper as he ripped them apart, but I could have cared less. All I could think about was protecting my mate._

"_Oh Emmett," she said, her heartbroken voice muffled against my shoulder._

"_It's okay, babe. Everything will be okay," I said confidently, when I felt no such thing._

_I turned down several corridors until I encountered an area that was vampire free. _

_Shoving open the door to one of the cells, I pulled Rose in with me. _

_Crossing to the opposite side of the room, I sank to the floor hidden behind the bed with Rose clutched to me._

_We sat there and shook in each other's arms until we were calm enough to think rationally._

_That was when she ordered me to leave her behind._

Somehow in my mad dash down another hallway, I realized that I'd run past where I'd left her, so I had to double back.

Finally, her scent reached me and I followed it like a homing beacon.

Wrenching the door open, I found her, propped against a wall.

"Emmett," she said with a gasp and then a quiver in her voice. "You're okay."

Great wracking sobs tore from her at the sight of me. I hadn't realized until that moment how much Rose had worried that I would never come back.

"Of course, I'm okay, babe. Nothing could keep me away."

Wrapping my arm around her, I pulled her against me.

"I'd never leave you, babe. Everything will be alright."

As I waited for Carlisle and the others to arrive, I told her about what had happened.

She gasped in shock, when I told her about how Edward had killed Oscar and that somehow he had changed Bella.

"Do you think they're okay? Shouldn't someone be following them?" she asked me in concern.

People didn't realize that hidden behind her hard exterior, Rose was a very loving person.

She saw her feelings as a vulnerability that she could only show to me.

"They'll be okay, babe. They're together and that is all they've ever wanted."

* * *

**BELLA**

_The full moon shines down upon us, painting us both in silver._

_He is next to me, awakening as I am. _

_Shifting closer to me, he burrows his face in my hair and pulls me closer._

_My eyes roll back in pleasure, vibrating with intensity, every touch, every sensation like a burst of fire to my senses._

_Stretching, we stand, ready for the night, the wondrous night full of the calls of prey._

_I look at my mate, seeing his excitement—pupils dilated, licking his lips in anticipation._

_At the sight, two warring instincts fight within me- the call for his body and the call for the hunt._

_He senses my indecision and our eyes meet. One eyebrow rises in question, leaving the decision to me._

_I take a step towards him, but then the moon calls to me again and it cannot be ignored._

_We run for miles, through forests and fields and forests again. _

_He catches the scent at the same time as I do, whipping his head to the left._

_With a growl, he bounds across an outcropping of rock and into the trees, leaving me in his wake._

_I growl and charge after him, not wanting to lose the hunt. _

_As we approach the deer, unconsciously we form a plan of attack, my mate going to the right and I left, cutting off its escape._

_But instead of charging in, my mate stops, allowing me to take the lead. _

_I tackle the deer, bringing it to the ground in a cloud of dust._

_Shoving its head to the side, I pierce its neck and the rich taste of warm blood fills my mouth. The pleasure that fills me is like nothing I have ever felt. The thrill of the chase and then the spoils of success are intoxicating._

_My mate passes around me and my kill before settling in front of me. I let go of the blood and push the kill to him. Lifting the beast to his mouth, he buries his teeth in its neck with eyes focused solely on me as he shudders at the rich taste._

_Again my instincts war against me, but the call for blood wins over my other hunger._

_Dropping the drained kill to the ground, he stands and lifts his face to the sky, tasting the air._

_Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply as well._

_Playfully, I push my mate to the ground as I catch the herds scent again, but I already know that I will give him first kill this time._

_He growls behind me as the game is upon us, racing for the next kill._

* * *

_Satiated, I feel him approach._

_His firm body presses against me from behind, chest to my back and thighs against my own._

_Leaning back, I thrill at the feeling of him so close._

_His hands burn fire across my body, pulling my hair to the side in order to slide his nose up the side of my neck. _

_Opened-mouthed, he sucks on the skin of my neck as I take my last __mouthfuls __from my kill._

_The feeling is too much. _

_Dropping my prey, I spin around in his arms and latch my mouth to his, knocking us both to the ground. _

_Arms wild and grasping, bodies shaking and arching, we fight for dominance consumed by the need for each other. _

_Flipping me onto my back, he pins me to the ground, nipping at my lips, chin, and neck. His hands are everywhere, exploring my body as I arch into him trying to get closer._

_Then suddenly he is gone._

_My mate is on his feet, head cocked to the left, listening. I strain to hear, but find nothing._

_I stand up next to him and touch his face in concern._

_A low growl breaks from his chest as he turns towards __the edge of the tree line. _

_His mouth presses into a hardened frown._

_I strain to see what he sees, but he pushes me behind him._

_Then, I hear them. The snapping of underbrush and movement of bodies is thunderous in my head._

_Their scent is strong, a confusing mix of familiarity and danger which brings with it a barrage of images too many for my mind to handle. _

_A growl tears from my chest as anxiety fills me._

_Pulling me to him, my mate soothes me while still staying on the defensive._

_When they step from the trees, I growl loudly in warning. _

_My mate's stance is protective; his eyes shifting back and forth between me and the others, as his hands clench and unclench rapidly._

_Sounds are exchanged between my mate and the others, but I don't understand. Something nags at me as if I should understand, but it is too much for me to comprehend and the moon's call is too strong._

_Then, suddenly my mate thrusts me away from him with a snarl and lunges toward one of the others._

_I cower to the ground, preparing for an attack, but it doesn't come._

_Looking up, I watch as my mate tumbles to the ground, biting and clawing at another who remains passive under him._

_I jump to my feet and begin to approach when I see that the others are beginning to circle my mate._

_I want to protect my mate, but the familiarity of the others is confusing._

_I whine, but still take another step closer._

_At my sound of distress, my mate bolts to his feet, his eyes latching on to me._

_He is at my side in a flash, cradling me against him._

_Sounds are exchanged again with the others before they retreat, leaving us alone once more. _

_My mate's lips find mine, my hair intertwined with his fingers. _

_Demanding, he kisses me and I succumb to it. We hold each other, easing the fear and strain._

_Calm once again, he takes my hand and together we race into the night already anticipating the hunt._

* * *

The sound of a rather loud bird _qworking_ somewhere nearby woke me with a start. Groaning, I had murderous thoughts again about ways to kill the damn bird. Every day, the stupid crow appeared outside of my bedroom window and croaked me awake. If I hadn't yelled at it and thrown an apple at it on the first day, it might have left me alone. But throwing that apple had been like throwing down the gauntlet and the bird was winning by showing up every day at an unreasonably early hour just to torment me.

Rolling over, I tried to go back to sleep, but the movement caused a sharp pain to shoot up my side as something jabbed me. With a gasp, I bolted up too quickly and a wave of dizziness swept over me.

Clenching my eyes shut for a moment, I then gingerly began to open them.

For a moment, everything was a blur. Then as it solidified into form, I realized that I wasn't in my bedroom.

Staring around me in disorientation, I realized I was on a beach, laying half in and half out of the water.

With a whimper of fear, I moved to get up.

Afraid of what had happened to me, I could think of nothing but needing to get away as fast as I could.

Rolling onto my knees, I froze when I noticed that to my left was another person. Their back was to me as they laid half in and out of the water as I had.

Taking a slow steadying breath, I remained still not wanting to wake up whoever had brought me here.

Looking down at myself, I tried to take stock of any injuries I might have.

I froze in horror. My clothes were a tattered ruin and I was literally covered in blood.

With a scream, I collapsed to the ground.

Pulling at my shirt, I screamed again when I saw that it was just covering more blood underneath.

The person next to me bolted to their feet.

I scrambled backwards, not knowing what my kidnapper might do.

But I was shocked into stillness at the familiar voice.

"Bella?"

At the sound of Edward's voice, my eyes snapped up to his.

A wave of relief flooded through me followed by alarm as I took in his appearance.

Just like me, he was covered in blood, but he was also covered in a myriad of scratches and cuts as if he'd been in the midst of a very bloody battle.

His hair was so matted to his head that it didn't even look bronze anymore, more like a dark brown. There was blood smeared around his mouth and sprayed up his sharp jawline and high cheekbones. The blood spattering his face, only added to the paleness of his skin that sported a number of bruises.

If it weren't for his emerald green eyes, I might have doubted that it was actually him.

"Edward…" I gasped in relief.

He looked at me, eyes guarded, seemingly hesitant.

"Are you okay? You screamed," he said.

"Of course I screamed. Have you looked at me or yourself for that matter? We look like we've had buckets of blood poured over us," I exclaimed.

Looking down at himself, Edward pulled at his shredded shirt, focusing on what appeared to be round holes in his shirt and he finally looked back up at me, he didn't say anything. Instead, he took a step towards me, but then stopped and sank to the ground a distance away with a pained look on his face.

"Edward, what's going on? Where are we?" I demanded, becoming more scared by the minute.

"What's the last thing you remember?" he said in an even tone.

I knew him well enough to know that he was distraught about something, but keeping his emotions in check.

I thought back, trying to bring foggy memories to the surface.

"I think I was in the woods with… Jake? Why was I in the woods with Jake?" I asked in confusion.

"You don't remember anything else?" he asked, looking upset.

At his look of distress, I closed my eyes and tried once again to focus on my disjointed memories.

"Jake and I were surrounded by werewolves and shifters in the forest… Then, I was taken by Oscar's men, then… nothing…" I said.

I focused harder trying to bring together the other snippets of images.

"I remember having trouble breathing, and then being held tightly," I said.

A flash of feral green eyes in a blood streaked face flashed through my mind.

"I was being held by you, but it wasn't you…" I went on to say, remembering how gingerly I'd had to deal with him.

"What happened, Edward? Please tell me," I pleaded.

Shoulders hunched, Edward seemed to fold in upon himself.

"The clearest memory I have is of being taken by Oscar's men but then hearing in Paul's thoughts that one of the bitten people was Sue," he began.

At his words, I gasped because I suddenly remembered being in a cell and talking to Paul who was in the next room.

"I remember attacking my captors as I tried to get away because I realized that Sue was meant to share a safe house with you... Then things get foggy for a bit. My next somewhat clear memory is of holding you in what seemed like a hospital room," he said, but then paused.

"Bella, I wasn't myself. If I had been, I would never have left you…" he said, a pleading note in his voice.

I inched a little closer to him, wanting to give him comfort.

"What do you mean 'you left me?'" I asked, still confused.

"The monster inside of me had a strong grip, so when I heard Oscar, I had to hunt for him…" he said, looking down at his hands as if he were ashamed.

Fear clutched my chest at the danger he'd been in.

"Oh my god Edward! Are you okay? What happened? Where is he?" I gasped.

I looked him over, noticing again the blood, scratches, and then saw what appeared to be bullet holes in his shirt and jeans. I reached for him to check for wounds, but he held up his hand to keep me at bay.

"He's gone, Bella. I killed him. I knew we'd never be safe with him still in the world. It was my fault that he was a part of our lives, so it was my responsibility to deal with him…" he said, not looking up.

He was struggling with something more and I was afraid that he wasn't going to tell me.

I reached out for his hand again and this time he let me take it.

"Whatever it is, Edward, you can tell me…" I said

I knew that no matter what he said, we would be okay. We were alive and together. Anything else we could deal with.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he said with a sob, pulling his hand away from mine and covering his face.

I lurched forward and clutched him to me.

"It's okay, Edward. I love you. Just tell me," I murmured into his hair.

"You were dying…" he practically whispered. "… and I couldn't let you die."

He looked up at me at that point, his eyes agonized and jaw clenched.

"I took the decision away from you …" he whimpered, "but I just couldn't live without you."

I froze, my mind starting to put together what he'd told me which led to other memories flickering through my mind.

… _the taste of Edward's blood in my mouth…_

_"You selfish bastard! You will not die and leave me here!" _

_"Edward! Wake up! You can't do this!"_

… _pain as I sliced my neck and wrist…_

… _the hunt…_

He'd changed me.

I sat still, trying to process it.

Finally, I found my voice.

"What does this mean?" I asked.

"What do you mean? Bella, I've changed you," he said, becoming rigid in my arms, before pulling away.

"I mean, I don't feel any different. What does that mean?" I asked again, confused because my mind couldn't comprehend what he was telling me.

"You are what I am now, Bella. Whatever that is…" he said bitterly, looking out across the water.

"But I don't feel any different, Edward. How can that be?" I asked again, tugging on his hand so that his eyes were drawn back to me.

"The only thing that I can come up with is that the three day cycle of the full moon has ended, so the monsters inside of us are at their weakest…" he muttered.

"So, are we werewolves then? Did we change into wolves last night?" I asked because I had a vague recollection of running through the woods.

"No, we're not werewolves… I'm not sure exactly what we are, but we're not wolves," he said looking away from me again.

I sat quietly for a while, trying to figure out how I felt about all of this.

I wasn't angry at Edward. He'd done it to save me and I'd always believed that I would someday be like him. But it was just so big, so new, that I didn't know how to react.

So instead of dwelling on it, I turned to other things.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"I told them to leave last night. It was hard for me to accept that they weren't threats with the monster in control and they were scaring you," he responded, looking my way again.

"You remember last night? You were able to communicate?" I asked, feeling somewhat relieved by that for some reason.

"I could read their thoughts, but it was harder for me to respond," he said, slumping to the ground.

"Where did they go?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but we'll be able to track them with our enhanced sense of smell," he said with an edge of bitterness to his voice.

I inhaled deeply and noticed that there seemed to be many more layers to the scents around me that I'd never noticed before. It was actually quite fascinating.

Picking up a stone, Edward whipped it across the water, its skips and jumps going much farther than a human could ever have thrown.

I picked up a stone and tried to do the same thing, but instead of skipping, it made a large splash. Although I failed at skipping it, it was still much farther away than I'd been able to throw as a human.

I giggled because clearly even though I was stronger, I was still uncoordinated. But instead of being frustrated by it, I found it comforting. I may be different, but I was still me.

Edward's head snapped towards me.

"How can you laugh, Bella? Aren't you angry? Aren't you angry at what I've done?" he snapped.

He jumped to his feet and tried to run his hand through his hair, but tsk'd with disgust at the stickiness he found.

"We're monsters Bella! Don't you get it? I've doomed you to the life of some creature I know nothing about. When I was contemplating turning you, I knew what I would be getting you into and I was almost able to accept it. Now? I have no idea what's in store for us. Look at us. We're covered in blood…" he shouted.

Then, he clutched his head and whimpered.

"Oh god, what have I done?"

I leaped to my feet and strode over to him.

Taking a hold of his chin, I forced him to meet my eyes.

"Edward Cullen, you need to look at me now!" I growled.

He tried to avoid looking at me, but eventually gave in and met my eyes.

"Edward, I don't care what we are. We are together and we are the same now, equals. That was always end game for me. No more of you being afraid to touch me, no more sadness that you'd outlive me. We have a chance to start again."

"But…" he began, but I silenced him by pressing my lips to his.

"Do you feel that Edward? Your lips are soft against mine, not unyielding as they were as a vampire."

I pulled him to the ground, facing me.

Then, I reached towards him and cupped his cheek.

He shivered roughly, his muscles flexing and straining up through his neck, his jaw tightening under my palm. His soft cheek had begun to warm under my hand and I moved my palm, shifting my face over to the spot that held my heat. I sighed once contact was made.

Pulling myself closer to him, I slid my hands across his shoulders and up across the sides of his neck until I weaved my fingers through the hair at the base of his neck.

"We can warm each other with our bodies because we're the same temperature now. You can hold me tight and not be afraid of breaking me," I said, pulling his arms around me before laying my head on his shoulder.

He held himself stiffly against me at first, before finally letting go and wrapping his arms around me.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, he buried his face in my hair, squeezing me tight.

"I love you so much, Bella," he whispered.

"I love you too," I murmured, kissing his throat.

We held each other for a long time without speaking. Eventually we found ourselves looking out across the water, just breathing the air together.

I knew that there were many doubts and fears that we still had, but in this we were united. For better or for worse, we were together.

"Do you know this place?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, it's Jacob's lake," he said with a sigh.

This place was magical for me. This was where my life began again.

"This was the place where we fell in love again, the place where we started this new life," I said with a sigh.

In response, he squeezed me to him again and kissed the top of my head.

"That we did, love."

* * *

I took a deep breath, knowing that we had to find the others, but selfishly wanting to hold onto this moment.

I wanted to have a few more moments of just being us in a place where we'd been free from all the drama that surrounded us in the outside world.

Smiling to myself, I remembered how we joked and laughed, running along the beach.

Flashes of the night before flickered through my mind. It had been happening all day, making me think that eventually I'd be able to remember everything. Edward could remember what happened during the full moon and he'd been changed for a longer period of time than me.

A flash of us tumbling to the ground growling as we kissed and pawed at each other made me freeze.

My body was instantly on alert at the erotic image but I also found it funny at how animalistic we seemed.

I was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of joy. I saw a bright future ahead of us and I needed Edward to join me in that belief.

Wanting to break the intensity of the last few hours, I decided to play with him.

"So… Edward?" I asked slowly in a quiet voice.

"Hmmm?"

"Did we 'do it' last night?"

"What?" he asked, in confusion.

"Did we 'do' it?" I said, seriously and then broke into song. "You and me baby ain't nothin but animals. So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel."

For a few moments, he said nothing.

I wasn't sure what his reaction would be. He was far too serious some times and the last few months had given us little to laugh about.

Then he broke the silence.

"Actually, I think the lyric is about mammals not animals," he responded in what seemed like a serious voice.

I laughed in delight and pulled away from him in order to see his face.

"You know the song?!"

A small smile pulled at his mouth and his right cheek lifted as his eyes squinted in amusement.

"You know that I'm a big fan of music, love," he said and this time I could hear a laugh in his voice.

Then, he laughed out loud and kissed my cheek and then my lips before saying, "The poetry that falls from these lips..."

"So did we?" I asked, very curious now.

"If we did, do you really think that any of our clothes would have survived? You were a wild woman."

"You've always brought out the animal in me…" I said, raising one eyebrow and then throwing myself on him, kissing him everywhere I could reach.

But I pulled away quickly at the metallic taste on my lips.

"Yeesh, Edward. You need a bath," I complained.

"I'm not the only one love. We're both quite a mess."

He pulled a lock of my hair up in front of my face and I saw how it was clumped together with blood.

"Well, maybe we should go for a swim," I said with a mischievous smile.

"Bella…" he said, a serious look on his face. "We should go find the others."

I sighed.

"I know, Edward. Just a little longer. Let's just be us for a little longer," I asked.

With a small smile, he reached out his hand to me and pulled us both to our feet.

"Okay. Let's go for a swim."

Feeling shy for some reason, I turned my back on him as I pulled off my clothes.

We'd seen each other naked before, but for some reason this felt different.

Then, with a deep breath, I turned towards him.

The intensity of his eyes took my breath away.

The clothing he held in his right hand hung limply to the ground as we stared at one another in gaze traveled from my face down my body until he had taken in every last inch of me, worshipping me with his eyes.

Even covered in blood, he was beautiful.

He could be used as a model for any Greek sculpture. Every dip and curve of his body was perfect and well-defined, but not overly so.

The bruises and scrapes that covered him, only brought more attention to how gorgeous he was.

Again I marveled at how a person like him could be mine.

Instead of giving into the need to have him, I walked towards the water, beckoning for him to follow.

With a grin, he followed close behind, his heat radiating off him in waves.

The water was cold, but refreshingly so.

Taking a deep breath, I plunged in, completely submersing myself.

Breaking the surface, I looked for Edward, but he was nowhere to be seen.

As I spun in the water looking for him, I was suddenly yanked under the surface.

Sputtering, I swatted at him as we both crested the surface.

But instead of moving away from me, he pulled me towards him by the waist.

Cupping his hand with water, he gently brushed it over my face, washing away the blood.

I did the same for him, using the moment to tenderly trace his features.

Once I'd finished his face, I had him lie on his back so I could rake my fingers through his hair, colouring the water around him red.

I tried to spread out each strand of hair, marveling as his bronze highlights materialized once the blood was washed away.

Edward always loved it when I would play with his hair, scratching his scalp and gently tugging on it. So he was in his glory now, his face slack in relaxation as I took my time taking care of him.

Once I'd finished, Edward did the same for me.

When we moved on to each others' bodies, the gentle caresses turned more impatient.

Eventually, the intensity reached a feverish peak, causing Edward to crush his lips to mine, opening and tasting. We kissed with unchained relief and longing that mirrored each others' perfectly.

My mind at first could only process him: lips, smell, taste, hair, hands, skin, and sounds.

His hands ran down my back and over the curve of my backside, cupping me gently before sliding down to my thighs and lifting me up, pulling my legs around his waist.

Arching into him, his lips trailed lower to my breasts, sucking and nipping at my flesh.

I quaked and shivered, grasping for his face, his hair, anything I could hold onto as I let the pleasure over take me.

His fingers feathered up my ribs and gently traced the shape of my breasts, taking the place of his mouth.

"You're amazing," he whispered as he kissed my neck. "Your body was sculpted just for my hands."

I pulled his face to mine and kissed him, noting how his eyes looked hungry, but this time I knew that it had nothing to do with my blood.

"I need you, Edward," I said with a whimper, not able to take anymore.

A moan escaped his lips, as he involuntarily thrust up against me.

Our bodies rocked to their own rhythm, sliding against each others' heat, drawing out the pleasure in the space between us.

"Edward, let's go to the beach. I need to be able to touch you," I whispered into the crook of his neck.

"I… I… can't stop touching you," he panted.

I pulled away from him with difficulty, dragging him behind me up the beach and onto a patch of grass where we had set up our tent in what felt like years ago.

Laying down on my back, I pulled him down next to me.

Trying to slow us down, I rolled to my side and started to run my hand over him- forehead, eyebrows, nose, lips, chest, and stomach.

I looked into his eyes at that moment and was mesmerized by the desire in his emerald eyes.

Never letting go of our eye contact, I wrapped my hand around him, thrilling when his eyes rolled back in pleasure.

I started a steady rhythm, fascinated by every twitch and sigh that escaped him.

"God, Bella…" he practically whimpered as he rolled onto his side in order to touch me as well.

His fingers moved inside of me, finding the center of my excitement.

Our touches became less tender and more frantic as we each pushed each other towards the brink.

"I need you, Bella," Edward growled, releasing me and pulling away only to roll on top of me.

I groaned at the feeling of him pressing into me, the anticipation too much.

For one long second, he didn't move as our eyes locked.

Then, with a groan, he thrust into pulled back slowly, but my body protested, moving involuntarily against him, trying to keep him.

Again he thrust into me and this time my desire for slow vanished. I grabbed him, hands entwining in his hair, legs wrapping around him.

Picking up on my new intensity, we set a fast and hard pace. Thrusting inside of me over and over, he kissed me, deep kisses that devoured me.

Never losing our connection, I rolled him onto his back and took control.

Again and again, I pushed myself down onto him, my hands feverishly caressing every part available to my hands.

The pressure began to build and build inside of me, a feeling that threatened to overwhelm me at any moment.

It became so intense that suddenly a growl ripped from my chest.

My eyes flew open in shock.

Looking down at Edward, I saw that his eyes were wide as well, but not in surprise or horror. I saw a fire in his eyes of something other than human- the animal in me calling to the animal in him.

Edward lunged up to me, latching his mouth to mine with an answering growl.

Our lovemaking became wild, frantic nipping, licking, and biting tender flesh. Moans and growls tore from our throats as we pushed and pulled at each others' bodies, taking the pleasure from each other that we needed.

When we had reached a point where it all became too much, we fell over the edge—first me and then him.

In a heap, we collapsed, panting and gasping.

Whispered _I love you's_ were exchanged as we enjoyed the afterglow of our love.


	45. What We've Become

**CARLISLE**

Jasper had insisted on being the last one to receive help.

He would always have a slight bald spot which went from his hair line across his temple and under his hair, but with his hair being longer, I didn't expect for people to notice.

Alice would heal properly now that I'd pressed the edges of her wound on her cheek together and held it there with a piece of medical tape.

We were lucky enough to even find my children's lost appendages and I was able to re-attach them as well, but again I had to wrap Emmett and Rosalie's injuries tightly in order to make sure that the edge healed together smoothly. I didn't want any of my children scarred.

Emmett's neck however, would take more time. A piece had been torn away from his neck, so it was impossible to seal together. Hopefully, after they hunted it would fill in. Jasper's shoulder had a piece missing as well, but that could be hidden under his clothing if feeding didn't fix it.

I looked around at my family, feeling tired for the first time in over a century.

They'd never looked more human. Covered in bandages and half-starved having not fed recently, they all looked like they should be taken to the hospital.

I looked around the room we were in once more and noted that Oscar had this place so well stocked that basically we were already in a hospital. However, this place hadn't been used for healing, but destruction.

So much death in this one building. So many lives lost in agony.

Even though we had to kill many newborns in order to survive, I felt guilt over the number of our kind we'd killed. It hadn't been their fault that they'd become dangerous. Oscar had made them so.

All of them had been innocents before Oscar had pulled them into his insane war. Any number of them could have chosen to live their lives the way we did, but it had been just too dangerous to take the time to find out. There had been just too many of them to risk it.

"Carlisle, should we go after Bella and Edward?" Esme asked.

I took a moment to think about it.

When Emmett told me that Edward had changed Bella, I'd been shocked to the say the least. While on the one hand I was thrilled that finally Bella was Edward's equal and could be a true mate for him, I was scared because I didn't know what they actually were anymore. But we had other things to take care of before I could think about them.

"No, we can't leave. We need to scour this place for all the information that Oscar gathered from his experiments and then we have burn it down. We can't leave any evidence behind about what happened here. Humans could find it or worse the Volturi could discover its existence," I said.

Keeping my family busy for the time being was also important. I saw that the trauma of the past few days was wearing on them and I wanted to put off any emotional breakdowns until we were safely at home.

They all nodded solemnly.

"Bella and Edward are fine," Emmett said, wearily. "They probably wouldn't be happy with us for interrupting them anyway. This moment has been a long time coming. Finally, they can just be with each other, like any normal couple. They'll come to us when they're ready."

Alice nodded in agreement although Esme still looked concerned.

"Okay, let's get to work," I said.

Emmett and Rose left for the control room, looking for any tape or videos of the experiments that Oscar had been conducting. Emmett told me that there were monitors in the room for every cell. That's how they'd known where to find us.

Alice and Jasper went to the east wing to look for any offices that might contain files.

Esme and I decided to stay in the area we were currently in. It was the surgical wing and included the lab which had fridges lining the wall filled with samples that might prove useful.

* * *

It took nearly half a day to search the compound for every last piece of information that Oscar had gathered over the years. I took the samples that I wanted to take with me in several coolers and Jasper had found Tupperware containers in which he piled hard drives and file folders.

"Okay, now what?" Rosalie said as we stood in a semi-circle in the surgical wing.

"We need burn the place down. Then, we tear down the foundations walls that are above ground and bury everything."

Luckily we'd found barrels of kerosene in one of the rooms.

I shuddered to think what Oscar had used the accelerant for.

We each agreed to start fires at opposite ends of the building and then meet top side and allow the place to be consumed.

Using anything flammable coated in kerosene, Esme and I went to each room and began fires that we knew would eventually join together to consume what remained in the rooms. The walls were too solid to burn down. They'd been created to imprison supernatural creatures, so there was very little we could do besides bury them once the flames had burned away any evidence of the carnage that had taken place only the night before.

We were the first to reach the surface and before I was even able to take a full breath of clean air, I smelled him.

A growl tore from my chest at the smell of our enemy.

In a blur, I was at the side of the corpse of the man that had nearly destroyed all of our lives.

He seemed so small and frail for someone who had caused so much pain.

Even though he was dead, I wanted to tear him apart. I wanted to bring him back to life, just so that I could do to him what he'd done to my eldest son and countless other newborns.

Edward thought that we were monsters, but what lay before me was the worst monster that I had ever known.

"Let it go," Esme whispered in my ear as she wrapped her arms around me from behind.

"It's over," she kissed my cheek. "Let the flames take him."

With a deep shuddering breath, I turned to her and nodded.

Picking up the body of my enemy, I took it to where the flames had reached the surface and threw him in.

* * *

Sitting at my desk in my home office, I opened the first file labeled A and was greeted by Oscar's manifesto.

It was almost word for word what he'd said to me when he was trying to convince me to participate in his horror show.

_Through the study of creatures such as werewolf, shifter, and vampire, we may be able to find a way to enhance the human race, so that people are no longer vulnerable to diseases or injuries. The mutated DNA of werewolves could be combined with that of vampires to bolster the human immune system. This could be a brave new world for humanity._

_I'm going to treat the viruses as a cancer. One treatment I will attempt is to inject an extremely high dose of radioactive chemical through either werewolf or vampire. What I'm trying to do is damage the DNA just enough so that when I inject them with the opposite virus its weakened DNA may produce antibodies in order to try to kill the invading virus, but neither will be strong enough to overpower the other. It is the antibodies that I want._

_Essentially I'm looking to create a vaccine to the werewolf and vampire virus and I'm predicting that in small amounts the antibodies created to fight both can be used to cure diseases and injuries._

**TEST SUBJECT 1: HUMAN TRIAL**

**Gender: _male_**

**Age: _22_**

**Description: _Caucasian, red hair, blue eyes, 5'4" 132 lbs_**

**10:05 am: _Subject 1 has been with the werewolf virus._**

**10:21 am: _The virus has invaded the muscle at the injection site and has multiplied causing spasms and pain that began localised, but is now spreading to other extremities._**

**11:51 am: _The subject has fallen unconscious. The virus has reached the central nervous system. He still reacts to stimuli, but doesn't seem to register pain._**

**12:50 pm: _High doses of radiation are injected._**

**2:00pm: _Death_**

The next two trials had the same results.

**TEST SUBJECT 4: HUMAN TRIAL**

**Gender: _male_**

**Age: _17_**

**Description: _Caucasian, blonde hair, 5'7" 154 lbs_**

**DAY 1**

**10:00 am: _I've injected Subject 4 with the werewolf virus._**

**10:45 am: _As with subjects 1, 2, 3, the virus has attacked the nervous system._**

**1:00 am: _The subject has fallen unconscious._**

**DAY 2**

**10:00 pm: _Subject 4, who has been restrained, has been injected with a lower dose of radiation._**

**3:00 pm: _The subject has been weakened by the radiation causing vomiting and unconsciousness._**

**Day 3: **

**3:15 pm: _The vampire virus has been introduced. Pain has returned, demonstrated by muscle spasms and screaming. The subject has to be restrained more securely because of violent muscle contractions that are abnormally strong._**

**3:45 pm: _As I suspected, the cell cultures taken from subject show a similarity with cancer cell cultures. The werewolf virus inserted a part of itself into the cell growth genes (as it did with mine), causing cell division which is spreading the virus. But the injection of the vampire virus seems to be attempting to override the werewolf altered cells._**

**3:35 pm: _Death_**

**Notes: _I need to inject a lower dosage of the vampire virus into the next test subject. I didn't find the right balance._**

**TEST SUBJECT 5: HUMAN TRIAL**

**Gender: _Female_**

**Age: _27_**

**Description: _Native American, 5'6" 128 lbs_**

**Day 4: _Death_**

Running my hands over my face, I closed the file on the human trials. All Oscar's tests had failed, regardless of the amount of radiation and virus he injected in each of the victims. The viruses just didn't seem compatible.

I opened up the next file.

**TEST SUBJECT 1: NEWBORN VAMPIRE TRIAL**

**Gender: _female_**

**Age: _19_**

**Description: _Caucasian, blonde hair, blue eyes, 5'4"__114 lbs_**

**Day 1 **

**10:00 am: _Vampire venom has been injected._**

**Day 3 **

**10:00 am: _The subject's skin has turned cold and white, pulse weak._**

**Day 4 **

**10:00 am: _A high dosage of radiation has been injected._**

**Day 5: **

**2:00 am: _Its pulse has stopped, but as of yet it is not conscious._**

**Day 6: _Subject 2 has been destroyed with fire, three casualties._**

**Notes: _I made a huge mistake, not considering how strong the newborn would be. It awoke from its three day change at full strength. Our restraints were worthless. Three of my pack were killed just trying to escape the room before they were able to shift into their supernatural form. Finally, two of my other shifters were able to restrain the beast, tearing it apart. Then only fire could stop the pieces from moving. They really are disgusting creatures. _**

**_I'll need to recruit some more people. I also need to order a large cache of accelerant for future emergencies._**

**TEST SUBJECT 2: NEWBORN VAMPIRE TRIAL**

**Gender: _male_**

**Age: _30_**

**Description: _Caucasian, 6'2" brown hair, 170 lbs_**

**Day 3: _Destroyed. No recruits lost._**

**TEST SUBJECT 3: NEWBORN VAMPIRE TRIAL**

**Gender: _male_**

**Age: _18_**

**Description: _Asian, 5'8", 140 lbs_**

**Day 5: _Skin is impenetrable, so the werewolf virus has been given through blood bags._**

**Day 7: _Vampire is unchanged._**

**TEST SUBJECT 4: NEWBORN VAMPIRE TRIAL**

**Gender: _male_**

**Age: _25_**

**Description: _African America, 6', 179 lbs_**

**Day 7: _The subject has been given a higher dose of radiation._**

**Day 15: _No change._**

Oscar conducted 10 more trials on newborns, but without any change in the results. Oscar had been unaware that a vampire was at its strongest as a newborn, not its weakest.

However, on some level he must have figured it out because the next file contained test subjects that had been older vampires

I steeled myself, hoping that I wouldn't see any familiar descriptions.

**TEST SUBJECT 1: VAMPIRE TRIAL**

**Gender: _male_**

**Age: _It_ _appears to be in its 30s, approximately 112 in vampire years_**

**Description: _Caucasian, 5'9, 150 lbs, blood red eyes_**

**Day 1: _We cannot get close enough to the creature. Thankfully, the material of the cell is solid enough to keep it contained. Blood bags dosed with radiation have been inserted into the cell by a slot in the door, but it chooses not to eat._**

**Day 10: _Subject 1 has drunk the blood, but no change_**

**Day 11: _No change_**

**Day 18: _No change_**

**Day 20: _Werewolf virus has been introduced through the blood bag._**

**Day 25: _No change_**

**Notes: _Test subject 1 has shown no changes from the laced blood. More research is needed into the physiology of vampires. Surgery will be required. These creatures are only penetrable using fire, Perhaps a blow torch can be used for precise cuts._**

A shudder wracked through me at the thought of the suffering that the poor vampire had gone through.

Fire was one of the few things that could actually harm and cause pain to a vampire, especially one who was as old as this one.

I turned the page over, wanting to know what happened to the vampire, but there were no other comments on test subject 1.

There were seven other vampires that had been tested but no new results were recorded.

**TEST SUBJECT 9: VAMPIRE TRIAL**

**Gender: _female_**

**Age: _appears to be in her early twenties, approximately 75 in vampire years_**

**Description: _Caucasian, red haired, 5'5" 119 lbs, red eyes_**

**Day 1 _The vampire is un-manageable, very strong. It won't drink the blood._**

**Day 20: _It has drunk the laced blood both with the radioactive chemical and then the werewolf virus._**

**Day 25: _There has still been no effect, but it wants to talk which may give me an opportunity to learn about their weaknesses._**

**Notes: _I've learned that there are two kinds of vampires. Most drink human blood but others drink the blood of animals. The vampire says that the animal drinkers are weaker and that I would know them by their gold eyes. Before I could find out more from the bloodsucker, it escaped. None of my guards can figure out how it did it. Thankfully, it told me of a group of animal drinking vampires that live nearby._**

My hand clutched the files, anger seething through me. I was certain that this was Victoria. She'd given us to Oscar in exchange for her life.

I dreaded looking at the next page, terrified about the information that I'd find.

**TEST SUBJECT 3: VAMPIRE TRIAL**

**Gender: _male_**

**Age: _appears 17, but is 95 in vampire years_**

**Description: _Caucasian, reddish brown hair, 6'2" 158 lbs, golden eyes_**

**Day 1: _It has refused all sources of blood, just like the others. But this one is not trying to escape. It surprisingly is able to mimic human emotion quite well._**

**Day 100: _How long can a vampire live without feeding?_**

**_It still refuses to drink, but has allowed me to take samples of its venom. __Because of its hardened skin, the only access point to the venom is the salivary glands. From previous surgeries on vampires, it is clear that a vampire's venom acts like blood as it is the only thing circulating through its body._**

**Day 250: _In its weakness, it has divulged something it has tried to keep hidden. It can read minds. So I've decided to use a different tact to get it to feed. I've sent Justin and Jace to a nearby jail to find a suitable candidate. It needs to be someone who has no remorse for killing an innocent. Hopefully, the radioactive treatment will not show itself right away because it would seem this creature will need time for its resistance against drinking from humans to weaken._**

**Day 256: _The vampire's control has finally broken. It took 6 days for it to kill the human. Hopefully, I doused the man with enough of the radioactive chemical that this time it will affect the vampire._**

I had to stop reading for a few moments, unable to continue to read the clinical notes of what this madman had done to my son.

I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Edward to have been starved for that many days and then to resist for six days listening to the thoughts of a man who had no compunctions about killing someone. I knew that my son was strong, but I had no idea that he had this in him. Any other vampire would have killed the man the minute he stepped into the cell.

**Day 280: _From visual observation, the vampire's skin is starting to change color. It is losing its whiteness and returning to an almost human color. Monitors indicate that its skin temperature is also increasing. I will need to conduct more tests at the cellular level. _**

**Day 368: _Interesting properties have been found in its venom. It's not composed of the same genetic material as the other vampires that I've studied anymore. It is time for me to inject it with the werewolf virus. Luckily, this one has not been resistant to my testing, so I can inject it directly._**

**Day 370: _Cell cultures taken from scrapings of its gums show that a change is taking place. It looks like dead genetic material is coming back to life. This might be the regenerative power that I've been looking for. A right balance between its power of eternal life and my virus that allows me to heal living flesh when injured could be the key to saving her. _**

**Day 370: _With its skin no longer impenetrable, I've hooked it up to an IV that is dosing it with the werewolf virus. Its veins are now active, but rather than blood it is venom that is still travelling through its body. I can't use venom to cure my wife, because I need the antibodies. Perhaps the werewolf virus is causing the vampire to create antibodies to it. This would make sense or every time a vampire was bitten by a werewolf, they would change._**

**_It now has a slight heart beat although very slow. In order to continue the process of whatever changes my werewolf virus is causing, I need to increase the dose._**

**Day 375: _I believe that the right balance has been reached. Surprisingly, its cells have regenerated, but instead of being taken over by the werewolf virus. It seems to be awakening dormant human DNA. This is the state that I've wished to achieve._**

**Day 400: _I've been able to isolate the antibodies in the creature's blood that has allowed its human cells to regenerate. These antibodies show a great deal of promise. I might be able to bring her back to me._**

**Day 413: _I have achieved some success with skin cultures from diseased subjects. Each disease requires different strengths of antibodies. I've had no success with physical injuries as of yet._**

**Day 439: _I need to give the creature more transfusions of werewolf blood. The subject's antibodies can cure some diseases, but is showing no success with healing injuries. No matter what dosage I've used, there is no change. Perhaps with a continuous dose, I can enhance the antibodies healing potential._**

**Day 475: _I've given the creature too much! Its antibodies are now becoming weaker and are being taken over by the supernatural viruses reactivating themselves. The vampire, human, and werewolf DNA are fighting for dominance, but I do not believe that the creature will live long enough for one to become dominant. At this rate, the creature will be dead within a week._**

Pausing in my reading of the charts, I noticed the date. It might not have been the amount of virus that had been injected, but instead the time of the month. Day 475 was during the week leading up to a full moon. It meant that the werewolf virus was reaching full potency. I made note of the test sample that was taken on day 375 which was the most successful and checked to make sure that they were in the cooler. Oscar had not beensuccessful, but I could possibly be.

I'd studied the vampire transformation for over a hundred years using myself and my family as test subjects.

That was the last chart that focused solely on Edward.

The only other note that was included in reference to Edward was that it seemed like along with his waning strength, he had lost his memory of his life as a vampire.

It was also noted that all other tests on vampires both human-drinking and animal drinking had failed.

No wonder, Oscar had gone insane when Edward disappeared. Edward had been the last hope that he had for saving his wife.

Pulling myself away from the files, I looked around our living room.

While to any human observer, we would have seemed calm and collected, I knew my family and could see that what had happened in the last month had shaken them to their core.

Emmett seemed the most affected. Not only had his injuries been severe, but he'd also always considered himself the protector of the family, so the danger that we'd been in for the last month had taken its toll on him. Rosalie had curled herself around him protectively, kissing his cheek and closed eyes as he attempted to calm himself.

Alice and Jasper's fingers were entwined as they sat together on the couch. The feeling of regret for killing so many of our kind, but also the relief of having it over had wreaked havoc on their sense of calm. I could feel the turbulent emotions coming from Jasper as he seemed incapable of gaining control of what he was emitting.

When it became too much for the rest of us, Alice took his hand and pulled him upstairs to their room.

We'd returned to our house in Forks because it was the closest place for us to wait for Edward and Bella. It was a risk because we didn't want anyone to know that we'd returned to Forks, but it was necessary.

Standing up, I crossed the room to my wife as she stared out the back window overlooking our yard. This place had been more of a home for us than any of our other houses. I couldn't help wishing that we'd be able to stay, but I knew that with the death of Sue it would be impossible. Wrapping my arms around her, she sighed.

I heard rather than saw Edward and Bella enter the house and escape up the stairs to his room.

At the sound, Esme whispered to me, "My children are safe… My family is safe… I was so scared Carlisle."

Turning her towards me, I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her lips tenderly.

"I was too," I said and kissed her again.

"But we're all together now, right? We're safe?" she asked, looking at me for comfort.

"We'll be okay," I said.

I didn't voice my concern and possible excitement at what I found in Oscar's files.

* * *

**BELLA**

I squealed and ran around the bed.

Edward was snarling at me playfully, stalking me like the predator he was. He leaped over the bed and stood before me grinning. I spun around and went the other direction, but suddenly he was standing in front of me again.

"Give them to me," he growled.

I giggled as I crawled across the bed. "No!"

Before I could make it to the other side, I felt the bed bounce as he jumped onto it.

"Give them to me, Bella." His eyes narrowed infinitesimally.

I shook my head with a smile.

I was enjoying teasing him. "I don't think so…." I said, seductively.

With a rumble deep in his chest, he was suddenly pinning me to the bed.

"I need my pants… You don't want me to talk to Carlisle pantless, do you?" he whispered in my ear.

I nearly gave in when I felt his teeth nip the skin in the crook of my neck, but I held out and kept his pants securely wedged behind me.

"Bella, what am I going to do with you?" he rumbled.

"I can think of a few things…" I said, licking a trail from the dip at the base of his neck to just below his ear.

With a groan, he captured my lips for a searing kiss before pulling away.

"Seriously, Bella. Carlisle needs to talk to us."

With a whine, I pushed him off of me and stood up.

"I know," I said with a tone of sadness. "I just don't want to return to reality."

Handing him his pants, I sighed as he pulled them on and tucked in his shirt."

He glanced at me curiously as he felt me staring at him. "What?"

"I prefer you naked," I responded.

He came over to me and kissed me gently.

"I think the same about you too, love," he said huskily.

Not able to control myself any longer, I fisted my hands in his shirt and pushed him against the wall.

Pressing myself fully against him, I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth.

"Carlisle can wait a little longer," I hissed in his ear. "I want you," I whispered against his lips.

A raw, animalistic growl erupted from him as he crashed his mouth against mine.

Sometime later, we found ourselves intertwined on the floor, never having made it to the bed.

I smiled as I looked at my mate's disheveled state. His hair was sticking out in all directions from my having run my hands through it over and over again. All the buttons on his shirt were missing and it was ripped at the seam on his left side, while the other side was still tucked into his unbuttoned pants. He looked like he had thoroughly been made love to.

A giggle escaped me when I took in his expression.

He had the stunned look of someone who didn't know what had just taken place.

"Are you okay?" I asked with a laugh.

"What?" he asked, starting to come out of his daze. "Uhh… yeah… yes, I'm great," he said a grin spreading across his face.

"Isn't Carlisle waiting for us?" I asked, jumping off the bed and smoothing my hair.

I was still presentable, so before he could even respond, I left the room with a laugh.

* * *

"When a person is bit by a vampire, the venom attacks the DNA, killing the human DNA. However, it would seem that in the case of Edward not all of his human cells died, some went dormant," Carlisle explained.

"Why would this happen with Edward and not all the other vampires that Oscar experimented on?" I asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps it only happens with vampires that are born with other abilities, like Edward, Jasper, and Alice. It could also be because we do not feed on humans, but that seems less likely," he said, a frown marring his face.

"What about Bella?" Edward asked. "If what you're saying is true, shouldn't my blood have killed her?'

A look of pained guilt had appeared on his face at his words, so I took his hand and squeezed it, wanting him to know that I was fine.

"I'm really not sure and I don't want to speculate until I have done further tests," Carlisle said.

"Did the files that you took from Oscar's office give you any insight into what Bella and Edward are now? They smell more like vampires than werewolves, but their scent is constantly changing," Jasper asked in his quiet voice.

I felt everyone in the room go still because this had been the question that I knew was ever present in everyone's minds.

There was an undercurrent of excitement at the fact that while we had the scent of vampires, our hearts were still beating and we were still warm.

"I did learn a few things from Oscar's files, but not enough. Let's start the tests, so that I can definitively answer all of your questions," Carlisle said, beckoning for us to follow him to the lab that he'd set up in the basement years ago.

* * *

Carlisle barely left the lab for three weeks.

During this time, the rest of the family took time to recuperate by feeding and simply enjoying being together as a family.

Everyone's injuries had healed except Emmett's neck and Jasper's shoulder which would always have slight indentations but they were barely noticeable.

Edward and I were inseparable. We were almost never more than a step or two away from each other.

I'd never seen Edward happier. He laughed more in those three weeks than the whole time that I'd known him. It was the most joyous sound I'd ever heard.

Wherever Edward and I were, his family was never far away which annoyed me at first because I thought they were still being protective. However, it finally occurred to me that they were simply basking in Edward's happiness. He teased and wrestled with Emmett and Jasper to the point where the rest of us told them that they needed to cut it out because they were destroying the house and backyard.

Surprisingly, Jasper spent more time with us than any of the others. At times, he even chose not to hunt in order to spend time with us watching movies or whatever else we were doing. I think that the joy with which Edward and I were living day to day soothed him.

Every day, I noticed my senses were becoming stronger—colors brighter, sounds louder. Edward was stronger too, which allowed Emmett and Jasper to fight with him without breaking him.

The only time we worried about these changes was on the night when Edward and I cooked an amazing dinner of my favorite pasta. After only about an hour of eating it, we both became violently sick. Up until that moment, we'd been able to eat human food.

It was clear to both of us at that moment that our days of being human were numbered.

The rest of the family left us alone that night while we comforted each other.

Finally, after the third week, Carlisle gathered us together to discuss what he'd discovered from our tests.

"These past three weeks, I've spent my time analyzing the blood and venom samples taken from Edward by Oscar and comparing them to the other vampires that had been tested on. After comparing the samples of Edwards DNA over the three years of experimentation with that of others, my theory was confirmed that it isn't the vampire virus that inserted itself into Edward's DNA that is different, but the parts of his DNA that have maintained a small amount of his human biology. Just like Bella, Edward had the latent ability as a human to understand the way others thought. That ability only intensified as a vampire, turning into his ability to hear thoughts. That means that elements of his human DNA remained in his biological composition," he explained.

"I don't really understand," Rosalie stated.

Looking over at her, I saw the worry in her eyes and then the others as I looked around at the rest of my family.

"In other words, our venom changes DNA, but does not destroy it. It infects each and every cell in a person's body by unravelling the DNA and redesigning it. Therefore, the extra element in Edward's DNA that makes him different than most other people was not destroyed during his transformation. This difference affected the way his body was able to defend itself against the werewolf virus," he continued.

"Examining Bella's blood further confirmed my belief. Bella's latent ability of shielding herself from some supernatural abilities is quite strong, so the viruses contained in Edward's blood are working even more slowly in her."

He paused after saying this and looked at us with compassion in his eyes.

"However, the fact remains that changes are still occurring in both of you. The vampire virus is gaining strength, overcoming the werewolf virus and human DNA, so I expect that the end result will be that you'll both become fully vampires," he said with sadness.

"How long do we have, Carlisle?" Edward asked, quietly.

"A few weeks, probably until the next full moon. It seems that the vampire antibodies are stronger at that point because they are trying to fight off the werewolf infection when it's at full-strength," he responded with a sigh.

I could feel the sympathy that the others were directing our way at the realization that our humanity was a fleeting miracle.

However, instead of being devastated, I felt relieved. I'd been afraid that Carlisle was about to tell us that we were going to die or become creatures that were unlike the rest of our family. I didn't want to be different from them. I didn't just love Edward, I loved his family too.

I stretched up on my toes and kissed Edward on the cheek, letting him know that I was okay.

At the touch of my lips, Edward wrapped his arms around me, but didn't say a word.

I couldn't read his expression, but he didn't look as upset as I'd expected.

"There's more, isn't there, Carlisle…" Jasper questioned bringing our attention back to him.

"Yes, there's more. From my studies, I discovered something amazing. I've figured out a way to isolate the antibodies in Bella's blood that have been bolstered by Edward's to fight off the influenza virus. I think that it might be possible for me to extract elements of those antibodies in order to cure the flu."

* * *

That night, Edward and I went to bed early, needing the time alone. The rest of the family went out hunting, giving us privacy.

Our lovemaking was tender and gentle, not hurried or frantic in anyway. We were enjoying our human moments- the others rapid heartbeat, panting breaths, sweat dampened skin.

After, as we lay blissfull in each other's arms, I broke the silence.

"What do you think about what Carlisle told us?" I asked, hesitant about his reaction.

Edward had been so quiet all afternoon and evening.

"I'm not really sure," he murmured. "On the one hand, I'm sad that we won't be able to grow old together, have children, grandchildren…" he trailed off.

"But on the other…" I prompted, wanting to hear his feelings before divulging mine.

He squeezed me tight to his chest before answering.

"But on the other hand, I can't help but feel relieved that our life together doesn't have a time limit. I've waited so long for you that I couldn't imagine knowing that our time on this earth was limited. No measure of time will be enough for me."

A sob escaped me at the relief I felt.

"Oh god, Bella. I'm so sorry. I know that what I feel is selfish. It is not that I don't value your human life-" he said, starting to sit up.

But before he could finish the sentence, I rolled on top of him and kissed him.

"I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm crying because I'm so happy Edward," I said, through my sobs. "I feel exactly the same way."

With a groan of relief, Edward rolled us over and kissed me passionately.


End file.
